In the days of giants; a book of Norse tales

IN THE DAYS OF
GIANTS

ABBIE

FARWELL

BROWN

n

1

ORIS LIBRARY

Cornell University
Library

The original of tliis book is in
tine Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 92401 25661 33

"I AM THE GIANT SKRYMIR" (page 150)

:ir » t IN THE DAYS OF
GIANTS t A BOOK OF
NORSE TALES BY ABBIE
FARWELL BROWN ttt
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
BY E. BOYD SMITH ttt

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
BOSTON, NEW YORK, CHICAGO

ORIS DBRARY

NOV 9 1987

COPYRIGHT 1902 BY ABBIE FARWELL BROWN. ALL RIfiHTS
RESERVED

Six of these Tales, namely. The Magic Apples, The
Dwarfs Gifts, The ^uest of the Hammer, In the
Giant's House, Balder and the Mistletoe, and The
Punishment of Loki are, by the courteous permission of
the publishers fl/"The Churchman, reprinted from that
magazine.

CONTENTS t t t

I. The Beginning of Things

II. How Odin Lost His Eye

III. Kvasir's Blood

IV. The Giant Builder
V. The Magic Apples

VI. Skadi's Choice

CORNELL

UNIVERSITY

LIBRARY

GIFT OF

UNDERGRADUATE LIBRARY

ramer
i^ould Not
iants

toe
loki
dary of

PAGE

1
11

21

35

SO

70

80

98

110

132

146

172

192

208

226

243
261

CONTENTS t t t

PAGE

I. The Beginning of Things i

II. How Odin Lost His Eye 1 1

III. Kvasir's Blood 21

IV. The Giant Builder 35
V. The Magic Apples 50

VI. Skadi's Choice 70

VII. The Dwarf's Gifts 80

VIII. Loki's Children 98

IX. The Quest of the Hammer 110

X. The Giantess Who Would Not 132

XI. Thor's Visit to the Giants 146

XII. Thor's Fishing 172

XIII. Thor's Duel 192

XIV. In the Giant's House 208
XV. Balder and the Mistletoe 226

XVI. The Punishment of Loki 243
Pronouncing Vocabulary of

Proper Names 261

ILLUSTRATIONS ttt

PAGE

" I am the giant Skrymir " (page 1 50)

Frontispiece

He flapped away with her, magic ap-
ples and all 62
The third gift — an enormous hammer 88
" Ah, what a lovely maid it is ! " 122
Each arrow overshot his head 232
"Kill him! Kill him!" 256

THE BEGINNING OF
THINGS t t t t t t t

THE oldest stories of every race
of people tell about the Beginning of
Things. But the various folk who
first told them were so very different, the
tales are so very old, and have changed so
greatly in the telling from one generation to
another, that there are almost as many ac-
counts of the way in which the world began
as there are nations upon the earth. So it is
not strange that the people of the North have
a legend of the Beginning quite different from
that of the Southern, Eastern, and Western
folk.

This book is made of the stories told by
the Northern folk, — the people who live in
the land of the midnight sun, where sum-
mer is green and pleasant, but winter is a
terrible time of cold and gloom ; where rocky
mountains tower like huge giants, over whose
heads the thunder rolls and crashes, and under

2 THE BEGINNING OF THINGS

whose feet are mines of precious metals.
Therefore you will find the tales full of
giants and dwarfs, — spirits of the cold moun-
tains and dark caverns.

You will find the hero to be Thor, with
his thunderbolt hammer, who dwells in the
happy heaven of Asgard, where All-Father
Odin is king, and where Balder the beauti-
ful makes springtime with his smile. In the
north countries, winter, cold, and frost are very
real and terrible enemies; while spring, sun-
shine, and warmth are near and dear friends.
So the story of the Beginning of Things is a
story of cold and heat, of the wicked giants
who loved the cold, and of the good ^sir,
who basked in pleasant warmth.

In the very beginning of things, the stories
say, there were two worlds, one of burning
heat and one of icy cold. The cold world
was in the north, and from it flowed Elivagar,
a river of poisonous water which hardened
into ice and piled up into great mountains,
filling the space which had no bottom. The
other world in the south was on fire with
bright flame, a place of heat most terrible.
And in those days through all space there was

THE BEGINNING OF THINGS 3

nothing beside these two worlds of heat and
cold.

But then began a fierce combat. Heat
and cold met and strove to destroy each
other, as they have tried to do ever since.
Flaming sparks from the hot world fell upon
the ice river which flowed from the place of
cold. And though the bright sparks were
quenched, in dying they wrought mischiefj
as they do to-day; for they melted the ice,
which dripped and dripped, like tears from
the suffering world of cold. And then, won-
derful to say, these chilly drops became alive;
became a huge, breathing mass, a Frost-
Giant with a wicked heart of ice. And he
was the ancestor of all the giants who came
afterwards, a bad and cruel race.

At that time there was no earth nor sea nor
heaven, nothing but the icy abyss without
bottom, whence Ymir the giant had sprung.
And there he lived, nourished by the milk of
a cow which the heat had formed. Now the
cow had nothing for her food but the snow
and ice of Elivagar, and that was cold vict-
uals indeed ! One day she was licking the
icy rocks, which tasted salty to her, when

4 THE BEGINNING OF THINGS

Ymir noticed that the mass was taking a
strange shape. The more the cow licked it,
the plainer became the outline of the shape.
And when evening came Ymir saw thrust-
ing itself through the icy rock a head of
hair. The next day the cow went on with
her meal, and at night-time a man's head ap-
peared above the rock. On the third day
the cow licked away the ice until forth
stepped a man, tall and powerful and hand-
some. This was no evil giant, for he was
good; and, strangely, though he came from
the ice his heart was warm. He was the ances-
tor of the kind iEsir ; for All-Father Odin and
his brothers Vili and Ve, the first of the gods,
were his grandsons, and as soon as they were
bom they became the enemies of the race of
giants.

Now after a few giant years, — ages and
ages of time as we reckon it, — there was a
great battle, for Odin and his brothers wished
to destroy all the evil in the world and to
leave only good. They attacked the wicked
giant Ymir, first of all his race, and after
hard fighting slew him. Ymir was so huge
that when he died a mighty river of blood

THE BEGINNING OF THINGS 5

flowed from the wounds which Odin had
given him ; a stream so large that it flooded
all space, and the fi'ost-giants, his children
and grandchildren, were drowned, except
one who escaped with his wife in a chest.
And but for the saving of these two, that
would have been the end of the race of
giants.

All-Father and his brothers now had work
to do. Painfully they dragged the great bulk
of Ymir into the bottomless space of ice, and
from it they built the earth, the sea, and the
heavens. Not an atom of his body went
to waste. His blood made the great ocean,
the rivers, lakes, and springs. His mighty
bones became mountains. His teeth and
broken bones made sand and pebbles. From
his skull they fashioned the arching heaven,
which they set up over the earth and sea.
His brain became the heavy clouds. His hair
sprouted into trees, grass, plants, and flowers.
And last of all, the ^Esir set his bristling
eyebrows as a high fence around the earth, to
keep the giants away from the race of men
whom they had planned to create for this
pleasant globe.

6 THE BEGINNING OF THINGS

So the earth was made. And next the
gods brought light for the heavens. They
caught the sparks and cinders blown from
the world of heat, and set them here and
there, above and below, as sun and moon
and stars. To each they gave its name and
told what its duties were to be, and how it
must perform them, day after day, and year
after year, and century after century, till the
ending of all things ; so that the children of
men might reckon time without mistake.

Sol and Mani, who drove the bright char-
iots of the sun and moon across the sky,
were a fair sister and brother whose father
named them Sun and Moon because they
were so beautiful. So Odin gave them each
a pair of swift, bright horses to drive, and set
them in the sky forever. Once upon a time,
— but that was many, many years later, —
Mani, the Man in the Moon, stole two chil-
dren from the earth. Hiuki and Bil were
going to a well to draw a pail of water. The
little boy and girl carried a pole and a
bucket across their shoulders, and looked so
pretty that Mani thrust down a long arm and
snatched them up to his moon. And there

THE BEGINNING OF THINGS 7

they are to this day, as you can see on any
moonlight night, — two little black shadows
on the moon's bright face, the boy and the
girl, with the bucket between them.

The gods also made Day and Night. Day
was fair, bright, and beautiful, for he was of
the warm-hearted vEsir race. But Night was
dark and gloomy, because she was one of the
cold giant-folk. Day and Night had each a
chariot drawn by a swift horse, and each in
turn drove about the world in a twenty-four
hours' journey. Night rode first behind her
dark horse, Hrimfaxi, who scattered dew from
his bit upon the sleeping earth. After her
came Day with his beautiful horse. Glad,
whose shining mane shot rays of light through
the sky.

All these wonders the kind gods wrought
that they might make a pleasant world for
men to call their home. And now the gods,
or ^sir as they were called, must choose a
place for their own dwelling, for there were
many of them, a glorious family. Outside of
everything, beyond the great ocean which
surrounded the world, was Jotunheim, the
cold country where the giants lived. The

8 THE BEGINNING OF THINGS

green earth was made for men. The gods
therefore decided to build their city above
men in the heavens, where they could watch
the doings of their favorites and protect them
from the wicked giants. Asgard was to be
their city, and from Asgard to Midgard, the
home of men, stretched a wonderful bridge, a
bridge of many colors. For it was the rain-
bow that we know and love. Up and down
the rainbow bridge the jiEsir could travel to
the earth, and thus keep close to the doings
of men.

Next, from the remnants of Ymir's body
the gods made the race of little dwarfs, a
wise folk and skillful, but in nature more like
the giants than like the good iEsir; for
they were spiteful and often wicked, and they
loved the dark and the cold better than light
and warmth. They lived deep down below
the ground in caves and rocky dens, and it
was their business to dig the precious metals
and glittering gems that were hidden in the
rocks, and to make wonderful things from
the treasures of the under-world. Pouf ! pouf !
went their little bellows. Tink-tank! went
their little hammers on their little anvils all day

THE BEGINNING OF THINGS 9

and all night. Sometimes they were friendly
to the giants, and sometimes they did kindly
deeds for the ^Esir. But always after men
came upon the earth they hated these new
folk, who eagerly sought for the gold and the
jewels which the dwarfs kept hidden in the
ground. The dwarfs lost no chance of doing
evil to the race of men.

Now the gods were ready for the mak-
ing of men. They longed to have a race of
creatures whom they could love and protect
and bless with all kinds of pleasures. So
Odin, with his brothers Hoenir and Loki,
crossed the rainbow bridge and came down
to the earth. They were walking along the
seashore when they found two trees, an ash
and an elm. These would do as well as any-
thing for their purpose. Odin took the two
trees and warmly breathed upon them ; and
lo! they were alive, a man and a woman.
Hoenir then gently touched their foreheads,
and they became wise. Lastly Loki softly
stroked their faces; their skin grew pink
with ruddy color, and they received the gifts
of speech, hearing, and sight. Ask and Em-
bla were their names, and the ash and the

lo THE BEGINNING OF THINGS

elm became the father and mother of the
whole human race whose dwelling was Mid-
gard, under the eyes of the ^sir who had
made them.

This is the story of the Beginning of
Things.

HOW ODIN LOST HIS

EYE ttttttttt

IN the beginning of things, before there
was any world or sun, moon, and stars,
there were the giants ; for these were the
oldest creatures that ever breathed. They
lived in Jotunheim, the land of frost and
darkness, and their hearts were evil. Next
came the gods, the good ^sir, who made earth
and sky and sea, and who dwelt in Asgard,
above the heavens. Then were created the
queer little dwarfs, who lived underground
in the caverns of the mountains, working at
their mines of metal and precious stones.
Last of all, the gods made men to dwell in
Midgard, the good world that we know, be-
tween which and the glorious home of the
^sir stretched Bifrost, the bridge of rain-
bows.

In those days, folk say, there was a mighty
ash-tree named Yggdrasil, so vast that its
branches shaded the whole earth and stretched
up into heaven where the ^sir dwelt, while
its roots sank far down below the lowest
depth. In the branches of the big ash-tree

12 HOW ODIN LOST HIS EYE

lived a queer family of creatures. First, there
was a great eagle, who was wiser than any
bird that ever lived — except the two
ravens. Thought and Memory, who sat upon
Father Odin's shoulders and told him the
secrets which they learned in their flight
over the wide world. Near the great eagle
perched a hawk, and four antlered deer
browsed among the buds of Yggdrasil. At
the foot of the tree coiled a huge serpent, who
was always gnawing hungrily at its roots,
with a whole colony of little snakes to keep
him company, — so many that they could
never be counted. The eagle at the top of
the tree and the serpent at its foot were
enemies, always saying hard things of each
other. Between the two skipped up and
down a little squirrel, a tale-bearer and a
gossip, who repeated each unkind remark
and, like the malicious neighbor that he was,
kept their quarrel ever fresh and green.

In one place at the roots of Yggdrasil was
a fair fountain called the Urdar-well, where
the three Norn-maidens, who knew the past,
present, and future, dwelt with their pets, the
two white swans. This was magic water in

HOW ODIN LOST HIS EYE 13

the fountain, which the Norns sprinkled every-
day upon the giant tree to keep it green, —
water so sacred that everything which entered
it became white as the film of an eggshell.
Close beside this sacred well the ^sir had
their council hall, to which they galloped
every morning over the rainbow bridge.

But Father Odin, the king of all the iEsir,
knew of another fountain more wonderful
still; the two ravens whom he sent forth
to bring him news had told him. This also
was below the roots of Yggdrasil, in the
spot where the skv and ocean met. Here
for centuries and centuries the giant Mimer
had sat keeping guard over his hidden well,
in the bottom of which lay such a treasure
of wisdom as was to be found nowhere else
in the world. Every morning Mimer dipped
his glittering horn Gioll into the fountain
and drew out a draught of the wondrous water,
which he drank to make him wise. Every
day he grew wiser and wiser; and as this had
been going on ever since the beginning of
things, you can scarcely imagine how wise
Mimer was.

Now it did not seem right to Father Odin

14 HOW ODIN LOST HIS EYE

that a giant should have all this wisdom to
himself"; for the giants were the enemies of the
iEsir, and the wisdom wliich they had been
hoarding for ages before the gods were made
was generally used for evil purposes. More-
over, Odin longed and longed to become the
wisest being in the world. So he resolved
to win a draught from Mimer's well, if in any
way that could be done.

One night, when the sun had set behind
the mountains of Midgard, Odin put on his
broad-brimmed hat and his striped cloak, and
taking his famous staff in his hand, trudged
down the long bridge to where it ended by
Mimer's secret grotto.

"Good-day, Mimer," said Odin, entering;
" I have come for a drink from your well."

The giant was sitting with his knees drawn
up to his chin, his long white beard falling
over his folded arms, and his head nod-
ding ; for Mimer was very old, and he often
fell asleep while watching over his precious
spring. He woke with a frown at Odin's
words. "You want a drink from my well,
do you ? " he growled. " Hey I I let no one
drink from my well."

HOW ODIN LOST HIS EYE 15

"Nevertheless, you must let me have a
draught from your glittering horn," insisted
Odin, " and I will pay you for it."

" Oho, you will pay me for it, will you ? "
echoed Mimer, eyeing his visitor keenly.
For now that he was wide awake, his wisdgm
taught him that this was no ordinary stranger.
" What will you pay for a drink from my
well, and why do you wish it so much ? "

" I can see with my eyes all that goes on
in heaven and upon earth," said Odin, " but
I cannot see into the depths of ocean. I
lack the hidden wisdom of the deep, — the
wit that lies at the bottom of your fountain.
My ravens tell me many secrets ; but I would
know all. And as for payment, ask what you
will, and I will pledge anything in return
for the draught of wisdom."

Then Mimer's keen glance grew keener.
" You are Odin, of the race of gods," he cried.
"We giants are centuries older than you,
and our wisdom which we have treasured
during these ages, when we were the only
creatures in all space, is a precious thing. If
I grant you a draught from my well, you will
become as one of us, a wise and dangerous

1 6 HOW ODIN LOST HIS EYE

enemy. It is a goodly price, Odin, which I
shall demand for a boon so great."

Now Odin was growing impatient for
the sparkling water. "Ask your price," he
frowned. " I have promised that I will pay."

!' What say you, then, to leaving one of
those far-seeing eyes of yours at the bottom
of my well ? " asked Mimer, hoping that he
would refuse the bargain. "This is the only
payment I will take."

Odin hesitated. It was indeed a heavy
price, and one that he could ill afford, for
he was proud of his noble beauty. But he
glanced at the magic fountain bubbling mys-
teriously in the shadow, and he knew that he
must have the draught.

"Give me the glittering horn," he an-
swered. " I pledge you my eye for a draught
to the brim."

Very unwillingly Mimer filled the horn
from the fountain of wisdom and handed it
to Odin. "Drink, then," he said ; " drink and
grow wise. This hour is the beginning of
trouble between your race and mine." And
wise Mimer foretold the truth.

Odin thought merely of the wisdom which

HOW ODIN LOST HIS EYE 17

was to be his. He seized the horn eagerly,
and emptied it without delay. From that
moment he became wiser than any one else
in the world except Mimer himself.

Now he had the price to pay, which was
not so pleasant. When he went away from
the grotto, he left at the bottom of the dark
pool one of his fiery eyes, which twinkled
and winked up through the magic depths
like the reflection of a star. This is how
Odin lost his eye, and why from that day he
was careful to pull his gray hat low over his
face when he wanted to pass unnoticed. For
by this oddity folk could easily recognize the
wise lord of Asgard.

In the bright morning, when the sun rose
over the mountains of Midgard, old Mimer
drank from his bubbly well a draught of the
wise water that flowed over Odin's pledge.
Doing so, from his underground grotto he
saw all that befell in heaven and on earth.
So that he also was wiser by the bargain.
Mimer seemed to have secured rather the
best of it ; for he lost nothing that he could
not spare, while Odin lost what no man can
well part with, — one of the good windows

1 8 HOW ODIN LOST HIS EYE

wherethrough his heart looks out upon the
world. But there was a sequel to these do-
ings which made the balance swing down in
Odin's favor.

Not long after this, the TEsir quarreled
with the Vanir, wild enemies of theirs, and
there was a terrible battle. But in the end
the two sides made peace ; and to prove that
they meant never to quarrel again, they ex-
changed hostages. The Vanir gave to the
^sir old Niord the rich, the lord of the sea
and the ocean wind, with his two children,
Frey and Freia. This was indeed a gracious
gift; for Freia was the most beautiful maid
in the world, and her twin brother was almost
as fair. To the Vanir in return Father Odin
gave his own brother Hoenir. And with
Hoenir he sent Mimer the wise, whom he
took from his lonely well.

Now the Vanir made Hoenir their chief,
thinking that he must be very wise because
he was the brother of great Odin, who had
lately become famous for his wisdom. They
did not know the secret of Mimer's well,
how the hoary old giant was far more wise
than any one who had not quaiFed of the

HOW ODIN LOST HIS EYE 19

magic water. It is true that in the assemblies
of the Vanir Hoenir gave excellent counsel.
But this was because Mimer whispered in
Hoenir's ear all the wisdom that he uttered.
Witless Hoenir was quite helpless without
his aid, and did not know what to do or say.
Whenever Mimer was absent he would look
nervous and frightened, and if folk ques-
tioned him he always answered : —

" Yes, ah yes ! Now go and consult some
one else."

Of course the Vanir soon grew very angry
at such silly answers from their chief, and
presently they began to suspect the truth.
" Odin has deceived us," they said. " He has
sent us his foolish brother with a witch to tell
him what to say. Ha ! We will show him
that we understand the trick." So they cut
off poor old Mimer's head and sent it to
Odin as a present.

The tales do not say what Odin thought
of the gift. Perhaps he was glad that now
there was no one in the whole world who^
could be called so wise as himself Perhaps
he was sorry for the danger into which he
had thrust a poor old giant who had never

20 HOW ODIN LOST HIS EYE

done him any wrong, except to be a giant
of the race which the ^Esir hated. Perhaps
he was a little ashamed of the trick which he
had played the Vanir. Odin's new wisdom
showed him how to prepare Mimer's head
with herbs and charms, so that it stood up
by itself quite naturally and seemed not dead.
Thenceforth Odin kept it near him, and
learned from it many useful secrets which
it had not forgotten.

So in the end Odin fared better than
the unhappy Mimer, whose worst fault was
that he knew more than most folk. That
is a dangerous fault, as others have found;
though it is not one for which many of us
need fear being punished.

KVASIR'S BLOOD t t t

ONCE upon a time there lived a man
named Kvasir, who was so wise that
no one could ask him a question
to which he did not know the answer, and
who was so eloquent that his words dripped
from his lips like notes of music from a lute.
For Kvasir was the first poet who ever lived,
the first of those wise makers of songs whom
the Norse folk named skalds. This Kvasir
received his precious gifts wonderfully; for
he was made by the gods and the Vanir,
those two mighty races, to celebrate the
peace which was evermore to be between
them.

Up and down the world Kvasir traveled,
lending his wisdom to the use of men, his
brothers ; and wherever he went he brought
smiles and joy and comfort, for with his
wisdom he found the cause of all men's
troubles, and with his songs he healed them.
This is what the poets have been doing in
all the ages ever since. Folk declare that
every skald has a drop of Kvasir's blood in
him. This is the tale which is told to show

22 KVASIR'S BLOOD

how it happened that Kvasir's blessed skill
has never been lost to the world.

-There were two wicked dwarfs named
Fialar and G.alar who envied Kvasir his
power over the hearts of men, and who
plotted to destroy him. So one day they in-
vited him to dine, and while he was there,
they begged him to come aside with them,
for they had a very secret question to ask,
which only he could answer. Kvasir never
refused to turn his wisdom to another's help ;
so, nothing suspecting, he went with them to
hear their trouble.

Thereupon this sly pair of wicked dwarfs
led him into a lonely corner. Treacherously
they slew Kvasir ; and because their cun-
ning taught them that his blood must be
precious, they saved it in three huge kettles,
and mixing it with honey, made thereof a
magic drink. Truly, a magic drink it was ;
for whoever tasted of Kvasir's blood was
straightway filled with Kvasir's spirit, so that
his heart taught wisdom and his lips uttered
the sweetest poesy. Thus the wicked dwarfs
became possessed of a wonderful treasure.

When the gods missed the silver voice

KVASIR'S BLOOD 23

of Kvasir echoing up from the world below,
they were alarmed, for Kvasir was very
dear to them. They inquired what had be-
come of him, and finally the wily dwarfs
answered that the good poet had been
drowned in his own wisdom. But Father
Odin, who had tasted another wise draught
from Mimer's well, knew that this was not
the truth, and kept his watchful eye upon
the dark doings of Fialar and Galar.

Not long after this the dwarfs committed
another wicked deed. They invited the giant
Gilling to row out to sea with them, and when
they were a long distance from shore, the
wicked fellows upset the boat and drowned
the giant, who could not swim. They rowed
back to land, and told the giant's wife how
the "accident" had happened. Then there
were giant shrieks and howls enough to
deafen all the world, for the poor giantess
was heartbroken, and her grief was a giant
grief Her sobs annoyed the cruel-hearted
dwarfs. So Fialar, pretending to sympathize,
offered to take her where she could look upon
the spot where her dear husband had last
ken seen. As she passed through the gate*

24 KVASIR'S BLOOD

way, the other dwarf, to whom his brother
had made a sign, let a huge millstone fall
upon her head. That was the ending of her,
poor thing, and of her sorrow, which had so
disturbed the little people, crooked in heart
as in body.

But punishment was in store for them.
Suttung, the huge son of Gilling, learned the
story of his parents' death, and presently,
in a dreadful rage, he came roaring to the
home of the dwarfs. He seized one of them
in each big fist, and wading far out to sea, set
the wretched . little fellows on a rock which
at high tide would be covered with water.

"Stay there," he cried, "and drown as
my father drowned ! " The dwarfs screamed
thereat for mercy so loudly that he had to
listen before he went away.

" Only let us off, Suttung," they begged,
" and you shall have the precious mead
made from Kvasir's blood."

Now Suttung was very anxious to own
this same mead, so at last he agreed to the
bargain. He carried them back to land, and
they gave him the kettles in which they had
mixed the magic fluid. Suttung took them

KVASIR'S BLOOD 25

away to his cave in the mountains, and gave
them in charge of his fair daughter Gunn-
lod. All day and all night she watched by
the precious kettles, to see that no one came
to steal or taste of the mead ; for Suttung
thought of it as his greatest treasure, and no
wonder.

Father Odin had seen all these deeds from
his seat above the heavens, and his eye had
followed longingly the passage of the won-
drous mead, for Odin longed to have a
draught of it. Odin had wisdom, he had
drained that draught from the bottom of
Mimer's mystic fountain ; but he lacked the
skill of speech which comes of drinking
Kvasir's blood. He wanted the mead for
himself and for his children in Asgard, and
it seemed a shame that this precious treasure
should be wasted upon the wicked giants
who were their enemies. So he resolved to
try if it might not be won in some sly way.

One day he put on his favorite disguise as
1 wandering old man, and set out for Giant-
Land, where Suttung dwelt. By and by he
came to a field where nine workmen were
cutting hay. Now these were the servants

26 KVASIR'S BLOOD

of Baugi, the brother of Suttung, and this
Odin knew. He walked up to the men and
watched them working for a little while.

" Ho I " he exclaimed at last, " your
scythes are dull. Shall I whet them for
you ? " The men were glad enough to ac-
cept his offer, so Odin took a whetstone from
his pocket and sharpened all the scythes
most wonderfully. Then the men wanted to
buy the stone ; each man would have it for
his own, and they fell to quarreling over it.
To make matters more exciting, Odin tossed
the whetstone into their midst, saying : —

" Let him have it who catches it ! " Then
indeed there was trouble ! The men fought
with one another for the stone, slashing right
and left with their sharp scythes until every
one was killed. Odin hastened away, and went
up to the house where Baugi lived. Pre-
sently home came Baugi, complaining loudly
and bitterly because his quarrelsome servants
had killed one another, so that there was not
one left to do his work.

"What am I going to do?" he cried.
" Here it is mowing time, and I have not a
single man to help me in the field I "

KVASIR'S BLOOD 27

Then Odin spoke up. " I will help you,"
he said. " I am a stout fellow, and I can do
the work of nine men if I am paid the price
I ask."

"What is the price which you ask?"
queried Baugi eagerly, for he saw that this
stranger was a mighty man, and he thought
that perhaps he could do as he boasted.

" I ask that you get for me a drink of
Suttung's mead," Odin answered.

Then Baugi eyed him sharply. " You are
one of the gods," he said, " or you would not
know about the precious mead. Therefore I
know that you can do my work, the work of
nine men. I cannot give you the mead. It is
my brother's, and he is very jealous of it, for
he wishes it all himself But if you will work
for me all the summer, when winter comes I
will go with you to Suttung's home and try
what I can do to get a draught for you."

So they made the bargain, and all summer
Father Odin worked in the fields of Baugi,
doing the work of nine men. When the
winter came, he demanded his pay. So then
they set out for Suttung's home, which was
a cave deep down in the mountains, where it

28 KVASIR'S BLOOD

seems not hard to hide one's treasures. First
Baugi went to his brother and told him of
the agreement between him and the stranger,
begging for a gift of the magic mead where-
with to pay the stout laborer who had done
the work of nine. But Suttung refused to
spare even a taste of the precious liquor.

" This laborer of yours is one of the gods,
our enemies," he said. " Indeed, I will not
give him of the precious mead. What are
you thinking of, brother ! " Then he talked
to Baugi till the giant was ready to forget
his promise to Odin, and to desire only the
death of the stranger who had come forward
to help him.

Baugi returned to Odin with the news that
the mead was not to be had with Suttung's
consent. " Then we must get it without his
consent," declared Odin. "We must use our
wits to steal it from under his nose. You
must help me, Baugi, for you have pro
mised."

Baugi agreed to this ; but in his heart he
meant to entrap Odin to his death. Odin
now took from his pocket an auger such as
one uses to bore holes. " Look, now," he

KVASIR'S BLOOD 29

said. " You shall bore a hole into the roof
of Suttung's cave, and when the hole is large
enough, I will crawl through and get the
mead."

" Very well," nodded Baugi, and he began
to bore into the mountain with all his might
and main. At last he cried, "There, it is
done ; the mountain is pierced through ! "
But when Odin blew into the hole to see
whether it did indeed go through into the
cave, the dust made by the auger flew into
his face. Thus he knew that Baugi was de-
ceiving him, and thenceforth he was on his
guard, which was fortunate.

" Try again," said Odin sternly. " Bore a
little deeper, friend Baugi." So Baugi went
at the work once more, and this time when
he said the hole was finished, Odin found
that his word was true, for the dust blew
through the hole and disappeared in the cave.
Now Odin was ready to try the plan which
he had been forming.

Odin's wisdom taught him many tricks,
and among them he knew the secret of
changing his form into that of any creature
he chose. He turned himself into a worm,

30 KVASIR'S BLOOD

— a long, slender, wiggly worm, just small
enough to be able to enter the hole that
Baugi had pierced. In a moment he had
thrust his head into the opening, and was
wriggling out of sight before Baugi had even
guessed what he meant to do. Baugi jumped
forward and made a stab at him with the
pointed auger, but it was too late. The
worm's striped tail quivered in out of sight,
and Baugi's wicked attempt was spoiled.

When Odin had crept through the hole,
he found himself in a dark, damp cavern,
where at first he could see nothing. He
changed himself back into his own noble
form, and then he began to hunt about for
the kettles of magic mead. Presently he
came to a little chamber, carefully hidden in
a secret corner of this secret grotto, — a cham-
ber locked and barred and bolted on the in-
side, so that no one could enter by the door.
Suttung had never thought of such a thing
as that a stranger might enter by a hole in the
roof!

At the back of this tiny room stood three
kettles upon the floor ; and beside them, with
her head resting on her elbow, sat a beautiful

KVASIR'S BLOOD 31

maiden, sound asleep, '''it was Gunnlod, Sut*
tung's daughter, the guardian of the mead.
Odin stepped up to her very softly, and
bending over, kissed her gently upon the
forehead. Gunnlod awoke with a start, and
at first she was horrified to find a stranger in
the cave where it seemed impossible that a
stranger could enter. But when she saw the
beauty of Odin's face and the kind look of
his eye, she was no longer afraid, but glad
that he had come. For poor Gunnlod often
grew lonesome in this gloomy cellar-home,
where Suttung kept her prisoner day and
night to watch over the three kettles.

" Dear maiden," said Odin, " I have come a
long, long distance to see you. Will you not
bid me stay a little while ? "

Gunnlod looked at him kindly. "Who
are you, and whence do you come so far to
see me ? " she asked.

" I am Odin, from Asgard. The way is
long and I am thirsty. Shall I not taste the
liquor which you have there ? "

Gunnlod hesitated. " My father bade me
never let soul taste of the mead," she said.
"I am sorry for you, however, poor fellow!

32 KVASIR'S BLOOD

You look very tired and thirsty. You may
have one little sip." Then Odin kissed her
and thanked her, and tarried there with such
pleasant words for the maiden that before he
was ready to go she granted him what he
asked, — three draughts, only three draughts
of the mead. ,

Now Odin took up the first kettle to drink,
and with one draught he drained the whole.
He did the same by the next, and the next,
till before she knew it, Gunnlod found her-
self guarding three empty kettles. Odin had
gained what he came for, and it was time for
him to be gone before Suttung should come
to seek him in the cave. He kissed fair
Gunnlod once again, with a sigh to think
that he must treat her so unfairly. Then he
changed himself into an eagle, and away
he flew to carry the precious mead home to
Asgard.

Meanwhile Baugi had told the giant Sut-
tung how Odin the worm had pierced through
into his treasure-cave ; and when Suttung,
who was watching, saw the great eagle fly
forth, he guessed who this eagle must be.
Suttung also put on an eagle's plumage, and

KVASIR'S BLOOD 22

a wonderful chase began. Whirr, whirr !
The two enormous birds winged their way
toward Asgard, Suttung close upon the
other's flight. Over the mountains they flew,
and' the world was darkened as if by the pas-
sage of heavy storm-clouds, while the trees,
blown by the breeze from their wings, swayed,
and bent almost to the ground.

It was a close race ; but Odin was the
swifter of the two, and at last he had the mead
safe in Asgard, where the gods were waiting
with huge dishes to receive it from his mouth.
Suttung was so close upon him, however,
that he jostled Odin even as he was filling
the last dish, and some of the mead was
spilled about in every direction over the
world. Men rushed from far and near to taste
of these wasted drops of Kvasir's blood, and
many had just enough to make them dizzy,
but not enough to make them wise. These
folk are the poor poets, the makers of bad
verses, whom one finds to this day satisfied
with their meagre, stolen portion, scattered
drops of the sacred draught.

The mead that Odin had captured he gave
to the gods, a wondrous gift; and they in

34 KVASIR'S BLOOD

turn cherished it as their most precious trea-
sure. It was given into the special charge
of old Bragi of the white beard, because his
taste of the magic mead had made him wise
and eloquent above all others. He was the
sweetest singer of all the JEsir, and his speech
was poetry. Sometimes Bragi gave a draught
of Kvasir's blood to some &vored mortal,
and then he also became a great poeL He
did not do this often, — only once or twice
in the memory of an old man; for the
precious mead must be made to last a long,
long time, until the world be ready to drop
to pieces, because this world without its
poets would be too dreadiiil a place to inK
agine.

THE GIANT BUILDER t

y^GES and ages ago, when the world
/-\ was first made, the gods decided to
-^ build a beautiful city high above the
heavens, the most glorious and wonderful city
that ever was known. Asgard was to be its
name, and it was to stand on Ida Plain under
the shade of Yggdrasil, the great tree whose
roots were underneath the earth.

First of all they built a house with a silver
roof, where there were seats for all the twelve
chiefs. In the midst, and high above the
rest, was the wonder-throne of Odin the All-
Father, whence he could see everything that
happened in the sky or on the earth or in the
sea. Next they made a fair house for Queen
Frigg and her lovely daughters. Then they
built a smithy, with its great hammers, tongs,
anvils, and bellows, where the gods could
work at their favorite trade, the making of
beautiful things out of gold; which they did
so well that folk name that time the Golden
Age. Afterwards, as they had more leisure,
they built separate houses for all the JEsir,
each more beautiful than the preceding, for

36 THE GIANT BUILDER

of course they were continually growing
more skillful. They saved Father Odin's
palace until the last, for they meant this to
be the largest and the most splendid of all.

Gladsheim, the home of joy, was the name
of Odin's house, and it was built all of gold,
set in the midst of a wood whereof the trees
had leaves of ruddy gold, — like an autumn-
gilded forest. For the safety of All-Father
it was surrounded by a roaring river and by
a high picket fence ; and there was a great
courtyard within.

The glory of Gladsheim was its wondrous
hall, radiant with gold, the most lovely
room that time has ever seen. Valhalla, the
Hall of Heroes, was the name of it, and it
was roofed with the mighty shields of war-
, riors. The ceiling was made of interlacing
spears, and there was a portal at the west
end before which hung a great gray wolf,
while over him a fierce eagle hovered. The
hall was so huge that it had 540 gates,
through each of which 800 men could march
abreast. Indeed, there needed to be room,
for this was the hall where every morning
Odin received all the brave warriors who had

THE GIANT BUILDER 37

died in battle on the earth below i and there
were many heroes in those days,
i/rhis was the reward which the gods gave
to courage. When a hero had gloriously
lost his life, the Valkyries, the nine warrior
daughters of Odin, brought his body up to
Valhalla on their white horses that gallop the
clouds. There they lived forever after in
happiness, enjoying the things that they had
most loved upon earth. Every morning they
armed themselves and went out to fight with
one another in the great courtyard. It was
a wondrous game, wondrously played. No
matter how often a hero was killed, he be-
came alive again in time to return perfectly
well to Valhalla, where he ate a delicious
breakfast with the ^sir ; while the beautiful
Valkyries who had first brought him thither
waited at table and poured the blessed mead,
which only the immortal taste. A happy life
it was for the heroes, and a happy life for all
who dwelt in Asgard; for this was before
trouble had come among the gods, following
the mischief of Loki.

This is how the trouble began. From the
beginning of time, the giants had been un«

38 THE GIANT BUILDER

friendly to the jEsir, because the giants were
older and huger and more wicked ; besides,
they were jealous because the good ^sir
were fast gaining more wisdom and power
than the giants had ever known. It was the
^sir who set the fair brother and sister, Sun
and Moon, in the sky to give light to men;
and it was they also who made the jeweled
stars out of sparks from the place of fire.
The giants hated the ^Esir, and tried all in
their power to injure them and the men of
the earth below, whom the ^sir loved and
cared for. The gods had already built a
wall around Midgard, the world of men, to
keep the giants out ; built it of the bushy
eyebrows of Ymir, the oldest and hugest of
giants. Between Asgard and the giants flowed
Ifing, the great river on which ice never
formed, and which the gods crossed on the
rainbow bridge. But this was not protection
enough. Their beautiful new city needed a
fortress.

So the word went forth in Asgard, — "We
must build us a fortress against the giants ;
the hugest, strongest, finest fortress that ever
was built."

THE GIANT BUILDER 39

Now one day, soon after they had an-
nounced this decision, there came a mighty
man stalking up the rainbow bridge that led
to Asgard city.

" Who goes there ! " cried Heimdal the
watchman, whose eyes were so keen that he
could see for a hundred miles around, and
whose ears were so sharp that he could hear
the grass growing in the meadow and the
wool on the backs of the sheep. " Who goes
there ! No one can enter Asgard if I say
no,"

" I am a builder," said the stranger, who
was a huge fellow with sleeves rolled up to
show the iron muscles of his arms. " I am a
builder of strong towers, and I have heard
that the folk of Asgard need one to help them
raise a fair fortress in their city."

Heimdal looked at the stranger narrowly,
for there was that about him which his sharp
eyes did not like. But he made no answer,
only blew on his golden horn, which was so
loud that it sounded through all the world.
At this signal all the ^Esir came running to
the rainbow bridge, from wherever they hap-
pened to be, to find out who was coming to

40 THE GIANT BUILDER

Asgard. For it was Heimdal's duty ever to
warn them of the approach of the unknown.

" This fellow says he is a builder," quoth
Heimdal. "And he would fain build us a
fortress in the city."

" Ay, that I would," nodded the stranger.
" Look at my iron arm ; look at my broad
back ; look at my shoulders. Am I not the
workman you need ? "

" Truly, he is a mighty figure," vowed
Odin, looking at him approvingly. " How
long will it take you alone to build our for-
tress? We can allow but one stranger at a
time within our city, for safety's sake."

" In three half-years," replied the stranger,
" I will undertake to build for you a castle so
strong that not even the giants, should they
swarm hither over Midgard, — not even
they could enter without your leave."

" Aha I " cried Father Odin, well pleased at
this offer. "And what reward do you ask,
friend, for help so timely?"

The stranger hummed and hawed and
pulled his long beard while he thought
Then he spoke suddenly, as if the idea had
just come into his mind. " I will name my

THE GIANT BUILDER 41

price, friends," he said; "a small price for so
great a deed. I ask you to give me Freia for
my wife, and those two sparkling jewels, the
Sun and Moon."

At this demand the gods looked grave;
for Freia was their dearest treasure. She was
the most beautiful maid who ever lived, the
light and life of heaven, and if she should
leave Asgard, joy would go with her; while
the Sun and Moon were the light and life
of the ^Esir's children, men, who lived in the
little world below. But Loki the sly whis-
pered that they would be safe enough if they
made another condition on their part, so hard
that the builder could not fulfill it. After
thinking cautiously, he spoke for them all.

" Mighty man," quoth he, " we are willing
to agree to your price — upon one condition.
It is too long a time that you ask; we can-
not wait three half-years for our castle ; that
is equal to three centuries when one is in a
hurry. See that you finish the fort without
help in one winter, one short winter, and you
shall have fair Freia with the Sun and Moon.
But if, on the first day of summer, one stone
is wanting to the walls, or if any one has

42 THE GIANT BUILDER

given you aid in the building, then your re»
ward is lost, and you shall depart without
payment." So spoke Loki, in the name of
all the gods; but the plan was his own.

At first the stranger shook his head and
frowned, saying that in so short a time no
one unaided could complete the undertak-
ing. At last he made another offer. " Let
me have but my good horse to help me, and
I will try," he urged. "Let me bring the
useful Svadilfori with me to the task, and
I will finish the work in one winter of short
days, or lose my reward. Surely, you will not
deny me this little help, from one four-footed
friend."

Then again the ^sir consulted, and the
wiser of them were doubtful whether it were
best to accept the stranger's offer so strangely
made. But again Loki urged them to accept.
" Surely, there is no harm," he said. " Even
with his old horse to help him, he cannot
build the castle in the promised time. We
shall gain a fortress without trouble and with
never a price to pay."

Loki was so eager that, although the other
Msir did not like this crafty way of making

THE GIANT BUILDER 43

bargains, they finally consented. Then in
the presence of the heroes, with the Valkyries
and Mimer's head for witnesses, the stranger
and the JEsir gave solemn promise that the
bargain should be kept.

On the first day of winter the strange
builder began his work, and wondrous was
the way he set about it. His strength seemed
as the strength of a hundred men. As for
his horse Svadilfori, he did more work by
half than even the mighty builder. In the
night he dragged the enormous rocks that
were to be used in building the castle, rocks
as big as mountains of the earth; while in
the daytime the stranger piled them into
place with his iron arms. The ^sir watched
him with amazement ; never was seen such
strength in Asgard. Neither Tyr the stout
nor Thor the strong could match the power
of the stranger. The gods began to look at
one another uneasily. Who was this mighty
one who had come among them, and what
if afiier all he should win his reward ? Freia
trembled in her palace, and the Sun and
Moon grew dim with fear.

Still the work went on, and the fort was

44 THE GIANT BUILDER

piling higher and higher, by day and by
night. There were but three days left before
the end of winter, and already the building
was so tall and so strong that it was safe from
the attacks of any giant. The ^sir were de-
lighted with their fine new castle; but their
pride was dimmed by the fear that it must be
paid for at all too costly a price. For only
the gateway remained to be completed, and
unless the stranger should fail to finish that
in the next three days, they must give him
Freia with the Sun and Moon.

The ^sir held a meeting upon Ida Plain,
a meeting full of fear and anger. At last
they realized what they had done ; they had
made a bargain with one of the giants, their
enemies; and if he won the prize, it would
mean sorrow and darkness in heaven and
upon earth. " How did we happen to agree
to so mad a bargain ? " they asked one an-
other. " Who suggested the wicked plan
which bids fair to cost us all that we most
cherish?" Then they remembered that it
was Loki who had made the plan ; it was
he who had insisted that it be carried out;
and they blamed him for all the trouble.

THE GIANT BUILDER 45

"It is your counsels, Loki, that have
brought this danger upon us," quoth Father
Odin, frowning. "You chose the way of
guile, which is not our way. It now remains
for you to help us by guile, if you can. But
if you cannot save for us Freia and the Sun
and Moon, you shall die. This is my word."
AH the other ^Esir agreed that this was jn.st.
Thor alone was away hunting evil demons
at the other end of the world, so he did not
know what was going on, and what dangers
were threatening Asgard.

Loki was much frightened at the word of
All-Father. " It was my fault," he cried, " but
how was I to know that he was a giant?
He had disguised himself so that he seemed
but a strong man. And as for his horse, —
it looks much like that of other folk. If it
were not for the horse, he could not finish the
work. Ha ! I have a thought ! The builder
shall not finish the gate ; the giant shall not
receive his payment. I will cheat the fel-
low."

Now it was the last night of winter, anc?
there remained but a few stones to put in
place on the top of the wondrous gateway.

46 THE GIANT BUILDER

The giant was sure of his prize, and chuckled
to himself as he went out with his horse to
drag the remaining stones; for he did not
know that the iEsir had guessed at last who
he was, and that Loki was plotting to out-
wit him. Hardly had he gone to work when
out of the wood came running a pretty little
mare, who neighed to Svadilfori as if inviting
the tired horse to leave his work and come
to the green fields for a holiday.

Svadilfori, you must remember, had been
working hard all winter, with never a sight
of four-footed creature of his kind, and he
was very lonesome and tired of dragging
stones. Giving a snort of disobedience, off
he ran after this new friend towards the grassy
meadows. Off went the giant after him,
howling with rage, and running for dear life,
as he saw not only his horse but his chance
of success slipping out of reach. It was a
mad chase, and all Asgard thundered with
the noise of galloping hoofs and the giant's
mighty tread. The mare who raced ahead
was Loki in disguise, and he led Svadilfori
far out of reach, to a hidden meadow that he
knew ; so that the giant howled and panted

THE GIANT BUILDER 47

up and down all night long, without catch-
ing even a sight of" his horse.

Now when the morning came the gateway
was still unfinished, and night and winter had
ended at the same hour. The giant's time
was over, and he had forfeited his reward.
The ^sir came flocking to the gateway, and
how they laughed and triumphed when they
found three stones wanting to complete the
gate!

" You have failed, fellow," judged Father
Odin sternly, " and no price shall we pay for
work that is still undone. You have failed.
Leave Asgard quickly; we have seen all we
want of you and of your race."

Then the giant knew that he was dis-
covered, and he was mad with rage. " It was
a trick ! " he bellowed, assuming his own
proper form, which was huge as a mountain,
and towered high beside the fortress that he
had built. " It was a wicked trick. You
shall pay for this in one way or another. I
cannot tear down the castle which, ungrate-
ful ones, I have built you, stronger than the
strength of any giant. But I will demolish

48 THE GIANT BUILDER

the rest of your shining city ! " Indeed, he
would have done so in his mighty rage;
but at this moment Thor, whom Heimdal
had called from the end of the earth by one
blast of the golden horn, came rushing to the
rescue, drawn in his chariot of goats. Thor
jumped to the ground close beside the giant,
and before that huge fellow knew what had
happened, his head was rolling upon the
ground at Father Odin's feet ; for with one
blow Thor had put an end to the giant's
wickedness and had saved Asgard.

" This is the reward you deserve ! " Thor
cried. "Not Freia nor the Sun and Moon,
but the death that I have in store for all the
enemies of the ^sir."

In this extraordinary way the noble city of
Asgard was made safe and complete by the
addition of a fortress which no one, not even
the giant who built it, could injure, it was
so wonder-strong. But always at the top of
the gate were lacking three great stones that
no one was mighty enough to lift. This
was a reminder to the JEsiv that now they had
the race of giants for their everlasting enemies.

THE GIANT BUILDER 49

And though Loki's trick had saved them
Freia, and for the world the Sun and Moon,
it was the beginning of trouble in Asgard
which lasted as long as Loki lived to make
mischief with his guile.

THE MAGIC APPLES t t

IT is not very amusing to be a king.
Father Odin often grew tired of sitting
all day long upon his golden throne in
Valhalla above the heavens. He wearied of
welcoming the new heroes whom the Valky-
ries brought him from wars upon the earth,
and of watching the old heroes fight their
daily deathless battles. He wearied of his
wise ravens, and the constant gossip which
they brought him from the four corners of the
world J and he longed to escape from every
one who knew him to some place where he
could pass for a mere stranger, instead of the
great king of the ^sir, the mightiest being
in the whole universe, of whom every one
was afraid.

Sometimes he longed so much that he
could not bear it. Then — he would run
away. He disguised himself as a tall old
man, with white hair and a long gray beard.
Around his shoulders he threw a huge blue
cloak, that covered him from top to toe, and
over his face he pulled a big slouch hat, to
hide his eyes. For his eyes Odin could not

THE MAGIC APPLES 51

change — no magician has ever learned how
to do that. One was empty; he had given
the eye to the giant Mimer in exchange for
wisdom.

Usually Odin loved to go upon these wan-
derings alone ; for an adventure is a double
adventure when one meets it single-handed.
It was a fine game for Odin to see how near
he could come to danger without feeling the
grip of its teeth. But sometimes, when he
wanted company, he would whisper to his
two brothers, Hoenir and red Loki. They
three would creep out of the palace by the
back way; and, with a finger on the lip to
Heimdal, the watchman, would silently steal
over the rainbow bridge which led from
Asgard into the places of men and dwarfs
and giants.

Wonderful adventures they had, these
three, with Loki to help make things hap-
pen. Loki was a sly, mischievous fellow,
full of his pranks and his capers, not always
kindly ones. But he was clever, as well as
malicious ; and when he had pushed folk
into trouble, he could often help them out
again, as safe as ever. He could be the jol-

52 THE MAGIC APPLES

liest of companions when he chose, and Odin
liked his merriment and his witty talk.

One day Loki did something which was
no mere jest nor easily forgiven, for it brought
all Asgard into danger. And after that Fa-
ther Odin and his children thought twice
before inviting Loki to join them in any
journey or undertaking. This which I am
about to tell was the first really wicked deed
of which Loki was found guilty, though I
am sure his red beard had dabbled in secret
wrongs before.

One night the three high gods, Odin,
Hcenir, and Loki, stole away from Asgard
in search of adventure. Over mountains and
deserts, great rivers and stony places, they
wandered until they grew very hungry. But
there was no food to be found — not even a
berry or a nut.

Oh, how footsore and tired they were !
And oh, how faint I The worst of it ever is
that — as you must often have noticed —
the heavier one's feet grow, the lighter and
more hollow becomes one's stomach ; which
seems a strange, thing, when you think of it.
If only one's feet became as light as the rest

THE MAGIC APPLES 53

of one feels, folk could fairly fly with hunger.
Alas I this is not so.

The three ^sir drooped and drooped, and
seemed on the point of starving, when they
came to the edge of a valley. Here, looking
down, they saw a herd of oxen feeding on
the grass.

" Hola ! " shouted Loki. " Behold our
supper ! " Going down into the valley, they
caught and killed one of the oxen, and, build-
ing a great bonfire, hung up the meat to
roast. Then the three sat around the fire and
smacked their lips, waiting for the meat to
cook. They waited for a long time.

" Surely, it is done now," said Loki, at
last; and he took the meat from the fire.
Strange to say, however, it was raw as ere
the fire was lighted. What could it mean ?
Never before had meat required so long a
time to roast. They made the fire brighter
and re-hung the beef for a thorough basting,
cooking it even longer than they had done
at first. When again they came to carve the
meat, they found it still uneatable. Then, in-
deed, they looked at one another in surprise.

" What can this mean ? " cried Loki, with
round eyes.

54 THE MAGIC APPLES

" There is some trick ! " whispered Hoenir,
looking around as if he expected to see a
fairy or a witch meddling with the food.

" We must find out what this mystery be-
tokens," said Odin thoughtfully. Just then
there was a strange sound in the oak-tree
under which they had built their fire.

" What is that "? " Loki shouted, springing
to his feet. They looked up into the tree,
and far above in the branches, near the top,
they spied an enormous eagle, who was staring
down at them, and making a queer sound,
as if he were laughing.

" Ho-ho ! " croaked the eagle. " I know
why your meat will not cook. It is all my
doing, masters."

The three vEsir stared in surprise. Then
Odin said sternly: "Who are you. Master
Eagle? And what do you mean by those
rude words ? "

" Give me my share of the ox, and you
shall see," rasped the eagle, in his harsh voice.
" Give me my share, and you will find that
your meat will cook as fast as you please."

Now the three on the ground were nearly
famished. So, although it seemed very strange

THE MAGIC APPLES 55

to be arguing with an eagle, they cried, as if
in one voice : " Come down, then, and take
your share." They thought that, being a
mere bird, he would want but a small piece.

The eagle flapped down from the top of
the tree. Dear me ! What a mighty bird he
was! Eight feet across the wings was the
smallest measure, and his claws were as long
and strong as ice-hooks. He fanned the
air like a whirlwind as he flew down to perch
beside the bonfire. Then in his beak, and
claws he seized a leg and both shoulders of
the ox, and started to fly away.

" Hold, thief ! " roared Loki angrily, when
he saw how much the eagle was taking.
" That is not your share ; you are no lion, but
you are taking the lion's share of our feast.
Begone, Scarecrow, and leave the meat as you
found it ! " Thereat, seizing a pole, he struck
at the eagle with all his might.

Then a strange thing happened. As the
great bird flapped upward with his prey,
giving a scream of malicious laughter, the
pole which Loki still held stuck fast to the
eagle's back, and Loki was unable to let go
of the other end.

56 THE MAGIC APPLES

" Help, help ! " he shouted to Odin and to
Hcenir, as he felt himself lifted off his feet.
But they could not help him. " Help, help ! "
he screamed, as the eagle flew with him, now
high, now low, through brush and bog and
briar, over treetops and the peaks of moun-
tains. On and on they went, until Loki
thought his arm would be pulled out, like a
weed torn up by the roots. The eagle woul(i
not listen to his cries nor pause in his flight,
until Loki was almost dead with pain and
fatigue.

" Hark you, Loki," screamed the eagle,
going a little more slowly ; " no one can help
you except me. You are bewitched, and you
cannot pull away from this pole, nor loose
the pole from me, until I choose. But if you
will promise what I ask, you shall go free."

Then Loki groaned : " O eagle, only let
me go, and tell me who you really are, and
I will promise whatever you wish."

The eagle answered : " I am the giant Thi-
asse, the enemy of the vEsir. But you ought
to love me, Loki, for you yourself married
a giantess."

Loki moaned : " Oh, yes ! I dearly love

THE MAGIC APPLES 57

all my wife's family, great Thiasse. Tell me
what you want of me ? " ,

"I want this," quoth Thiasse gruffly. "I
am growing old, and I want the apples which
Idun keeps in her golden casket, to make me
young again. You must get them for me."

Now these apples were the fruit of a magic
tree, and were more beautiful to look at and
more delicious to taste than any fruit that
ever grew. The best thing about them was
that whoever tasted one, be he ever so old,
grew young and strong again. The apples
belonged to a beautiful lady named Idun,
who kept them in a golden casket. Every
morning the ^Esir came to her to be refreshed
and made over by a bite of her precious
fruit. That is why in Asgard no one ever
waxed old or ugly. Even Father Odin,
Hoenir, and Loki, the three travelers who had
seen the very beginning of everything, when
the world was made, were still sturdy and
young. And so long as Idun kept her apples
safe, the faces of the family who sat about
the table of Valhalla would be rosy and fair
like the faces of children.

" O friend giant ! " cried Loki. " You know

58 THE MAGIC APPLES

not what you ask ! The apples are the most
precious treasure of Asgard, and Idun keeps
watch over them as if they were dearer to
her than life itself I never could steal them
from her, Thiasse ; for at her call all Asgard
would rush to the rescue, and trouble would
buzz about my ears like a hive of bees let
loose."

" Then you must steal Idun herself, apples
and all. For the apples I must have, and you
have promised, Loki, to do my bidding."

Loki sniffed and thought, thought and
sniffed again. Already his mischievous heart
was planning how he might steal Idun away.
He could hardly help laughing to think how
angry the ^sir would be when they found
their beauty-medicine gone forever. But he
hoped that, when he had done this trick for
Thiasse, now and then the giant would let
him have a nibble of the magic apples ; so
that Loki himself would remain young long
after the other ^Esir were grown old and
feeble. This thought suited Loki's malicious
nature well.

" I think I can manage it for you, Thiasse,"
he said craftily. " In a week I promise to

THE MAGIC APPLES 59

bring Idun and her apples to you. But you
must not forget the great risk which I am
running, nor that I am your relative by mar-
riage. I may have a favor to ask in return,
Thiasse."

Then the eagle gently dropped Loki from
his claws. Falling on a soft bed of moss,
Loki jumped up and ran back to his travel-
ing companions, who were glad and surprised
to see him again. They had feared that the
eagle was carrying him away to feed his
young eaglets in some far-off nest. Ah, you
may be sure that Loki did not tell them who
the eagle really was, nor confess the wicked
promise which he had made about Idun and
her apples.

After that the three went back to Asgard,
for they had had adventure enough for one
day.

The days flew by, and the time came
when Loki must fulfill his promise to Thiasse.
So one morning he strolled out into the mea-
dow where Idun loved to roam among the
flowers. There he found her, sitting by a tiny
spring, and holding her precious casket of
apples on her lap. She was combing her long

6o THE MAGIC APPLES

golden hair, which fell from under a wreath
of spring flowers, and she was very beautiful.
Her green robe was embroidered with buds
and blossoms of silk in many colors, and she
wore a golden girdle about her waist. She
smiled as Loki came, and tossed him a posy,
saying : " Good-morrow, red Loki. Have
you come for a bite of my apples ? I see a
wrinkle over each of your eyes which I can
smooth away."

"Nay, fair lady," answered Loki politely,
" I have just nibbled of another apple, which
I found this morning. Verily, I think it is
sweeter and more magical than yours."

Idun was hurt and surprised.

" That cannot be, Loki," she cried. " There
are no apples anywhere like mine. Where
found you this fine fruit ? " and she wrinkled
up her little nose scornfully.

" Oho ! I will not tell any one the place,"
chuckled Loki, "except that it is not far, in
a little wood. There is a gnarled old apple-
tree, and on its branches grow the most beau-
tiful red-cheeked apples you ever saw. But
you could never find it."

" I should like to see these apples, Loki,

THE MAGIC APPLES 6i

if only to prove how far less good they are
than mine. Will you bring me some ? "

" That I will not," said Loki teasingly.
" Oh, no ! I have my own magic apples now,
and folk will be coming to me for help in-
stead of to you."

Idun began to coax him, as he had guessed
that she would : " Please, please, Loki, show
me the place ! "

At first he would not, for he was a sly fel-
low, and knew how to lead her on. At last,
he pretended to yield.

"Well, then, because I love you, Idun,
better than all the rest, I will show you the
place, if you will come with me. But it must
be a secret — no one must ever know."

All girls like secrets.

" Yes — yes I " cried Idun eagerly. " Let
us steal away now, while no one is looking."

This was just what Loki hoped for.

" Bring your own apples," he said, " that
we may compare them with mine. But I
know mine are better."

" I know mine are the best in all the
world," returned Idun, pouting. " I will
bring them, to show you the difference."

62 THE MAGIC APPLES

Off they started together, she with the
golden casket under her arm ; and Loki
chuckled wickedly as they went. He led her
for some distance, further than she had ever
strayed before, and at last she grew fright-
ened.

" Where are you taking me, Loki ? " she
cried. "You said it was not far. I see no
little wood, no old apple-tree."

" It is just beyond, just a little step be-
yond," he answered. So on they went. But
that little step took them beyond the bound-
ary of Asgard — just a little step beyond,
into the space where the giants lurked and
waited for mischief.

Then there was a rustling of wings, and
whirr-rr-rr ! Down came Thiasse in his eagle
dress. Before Idun suspected what was hap-
pening, he fastened his claws into her girdle
and flapped away with her, magic apples
and all, to his palace in Jotunheim, the Land
of Giants.

Loki stole back to Asgard, thinking that
he was quite safe, and that no one would
discover his villainy. At first Idun was not
missed. But after a little the gods began to

HE FLAPPED AWAY WITH HER, MAGIC
APPLES AND ALL

THE MAGIC APPLES 63

feel signs of age, and went for their usual
bite of her apples. Then they found that
she had disappeared, and a great terror fell
upon them. Where had she gone ? Sup-
pose she should not come back !

The hours and days went by, and still
she did not return. Their fright became al-
most a panic. Their hair began to turn gray,
and their limbs grew stiff and gouty so that
they hobbled down Asgard streets. Even
Freia, the loveliest, was afraid to look in her
mirror, and Balder the beautiful grew pale
and haggard. The happy land of Asgard was
like a garden over which a burning wind had
blown, — all the flower-faces were faded and
withered, and springtime was turned into yel-
low fall.

If Idun and her apples were not quickly
found, the gods seemed likely to shrivel and
blow away like autumn leaves. They held
a council to inquire into the matter, endea-
voring to learn who had seen Idun last, and
whither she had gone. It turned out that
one morning Heimdal had seen her strolling
out of Asgard with Loki, and no one had
seen her since. Then the gods understood ;

64 THE MAGIC APPLES

Loki was the last person who had been with
her — this must be one of Loki's tricks.
They were filled with anger. They seized
and bound Loki and brought him before the
council. They threatened him with torture
and with death unless he should tell the
truth. And Loki was so frightened that
finally he confessed what he had done.
^ Then indeed there was horror in Asgard.
Idun stolen away by a wicked giant I Idun
and her apples lost, and Asgard growing
older every minute ! What was to be done ?
Big Thor seized Loki and threw him up in
the air again and again, so that his heels
touched first the moon and then the sea;
you can still see the marks upon the moon's
white face. " If you do not bring Idun back
from the land of your wicked wife, you shall
have worse than this I " he roared. " Go and
bring her now."

" How can I do that ? " asked Loki, trem-
bling.

" That is for you to find," growled Thor.
" Bring her you must. Go ! "

Loki thought for a moment. Then he
said : —

THE MAGIC APPLES 65

" I will bring her back if Freia will loan
me her falcon dress. The giant dresses as
an eagle. I, too, must guise me as a bird,
or we cannot outwit him."

Then Freia hemmed and hawed. She did
not wish to loan her feather dress, for it was
very precious. But all the ^sir begged ; and
finally she consented.

It was a beautiful great dress of brown
feathers and gray, and in it Freia loved to
skim like a falcon among the clouds and
stars. Loki put it on, and when he had done
so he looked exactly like a great brown
hawk. Only his bright black eyes remained
the same, glancing here and there, so that
they lost sight of nothing.

With a whirr of his wings Loki flew off
to the north, across mountains and valleys
and the great river Ifing, which lay between
Asgard and Giant Land. And at last he
came to the palace of Thiasse the giant.

It happened, fortunately, that Thiasse had
gone fishing in the sea, and Idun was left
alone, weeping and broken-hearted. Pre-
sently she heard a little tap on her window,
and, looking up, she saw a great brown bird

66 THE MAGIC APPLES

perching on the ledge. He was so big that
Idun was frightened and gave a scream. But
the bird nodded pleasantly and croaked:
"Don't be afraid, Idun. I am a friend. I
am Loki, come to set you free."

" Loki ! Loki is no friend of mine. He
brought me here," she sobbed. " I don't be-
lieve you came to save me."

" That is indeed why I am here," he re-
plied, "and a dangerous business it is, if
Thiasse should come back before we start
for home."

" How will you get me out 1 " asked Idun
doubtfully. "The door is locked, and the
window is barred."

" I will change you into a nut," said he,
" and carry you in my claws."

" What of the casket of apples ? " queried
Idun. " Can you carry that also *? "

Then Loki laughed long and loudly.

" What welcome to Asgard do you think
I should receive without the apples ? " he
cried. " Yes, we must take them, indeed."

Idun came to the window, and Loki, who
was a skillful magician, turned her into a nut
and took her in one claw, while in the other

THE MAGIC APPLES 67

he seized the casket of apples. Then off he
whirred out of the palace grounds and away
toward Asgard's safety.

In a little while Thiasse returned home,
and when he found Idun and her apples gone,
there was a hubbub, you may be sure ! How-
ever, he lost little time by smashing moun-
tains and breaking trees in his giant rage;
that fit was soon over. He put on his eagle
plumage and started in pursuit of the falcon.

Now an eagle is bigger and stronger than
any other bird, and usually in a long race he
can beat even the swift hawk who has an
hour's start. Presently Loki heard behind
him the shrill scream of a giant eagle, and
his heart turned sick. But he had crossed
the great river, and already was in sight of
Asgard. The aged ^sir were gathered on
the rainbow bridge watching eagerly for
Loki's return ; and when they spied the fal-
con with the nut and the casket in his talons,
they knew who it was. A great cheer went
up, but it was hushed in a moment, for they
saw the eagle close after the falcon ; and they
guessed that this must be the giant Thiasse,
the stealer of Idun.

68 THE MAGIC APPLES

Then there was a great shouting of com-
mands, and a rushing to and fro. All the
gods, even Father Odin and his two wise
ravens, were busy gathering chips into great
heaps on the walls of Asgard. As soon as
Loki, with his precious burden, had fluttered
weakly over the wall, dropping to the ground
beyond, the gods lighted the heaps of chips
which they had piled, and soon there was a
wall of fire, over which the eagle must fly.
He was going too fast to stop. The flames
loared and crackled, but Thlasse flew straight
into them, with a scream of fear and rage.
His feathers caught fire and burned, so that
he could no longer fly, but fell headlong to
the ground inside the walls. Then Thor, the
thunder-lord, and Tyr, the mighty war-king,
fell upon him and slew him, so that he could
never trouble the iEsir any more.

There was great rejoicing in Asgard that
night, for Loki changed Idun again to a fair
lady; whereupon she gave each of the eager
gods a bite of her life-giving fruit, so that
they grew young and happy once more, as if
all these horrors had never happened.

Not one of them, however, forgot the evii

THE MAGIC APPLES 69

part which Loki had played in these doings.
They hid the memory, like a buried seed,
deep in their hearts. Thenceforward the word
of Loki and the honor of his name were
poor coin in Asgard ; which is no wonder.

SKADI'S CHOICE t t t

THE giant Thiasse, whom Thor slew
for the theft of Idun and the magic
apples, had a daughter, Skadi, who
was a very good sort of girl, as giantesses go.
Most of them were evil-tempered, spiteful,
and cruel creatures, who desired only to do
harm to the gods and to all who were good.
But Skadi was different. Stronger than the
hatred of her race for the ^Esir, stronger even
than her wish to be revenged for her father's
death, was her love for Balder the beautiful,
the pride of all the gods. If she had not
been a giantess, she might have hoped that
he would love her also ; but she knew that
no one who lived in Asgard would ever think
kindly of her race, which had caused so much
trouble to Balder and his brothers. After
her father was killed by the ^sir, however,
Skadi had a wise idea.

Skadi put on her helm and corselet and
set out for Asgard, meaning to ask a noble
price to pay for the sorrow of Thiasse's
death. The gods, who had all grown young
and boyish once again, were sitting in Val-

SKADI'S CHOICE 71

halla merrily enjoying a banquet in honor of
Idun's safe return, when Skadi, clattering with
steel, strode into their midst. Heimdal the
watchman, astonished at the sight, had let
this maiden warrior pass him upon the rain-
bow bridge. The ^Esir set down their cups
hastily, and the laughter died upon their lips ;
for though she looked handsome, Skadi was
a terrible figure in her silver armor and with
her spear as long as a ship's mast brandished
in her giant hand.

The nine Valkyries, Odin's maiden war-
riors, hurried away to put on their own hel-
mets and shields ; for they would not have
this other maiden, ten times as huge, see
them meekly waiting at table, while they
had battle-dresses as fine as hers to show the
stranger.

"Who are you, maiden, and what seek
you here ? " asked Father Odin.

"I am Skadi, the daughter of Thiasse,
whom your folk have slain," answered she,
"and I come here for redress."

At these words the coward Loki, who
had been at the killing of Thiasse, skulked
low behind the table; but Thor, who had

72 SKADI'S CHOICE

done the killing, straightened himself and
clenched his fists tightly. He was not afraid
of any giant, however fierce, and this maiden
with her shield and spear only angered him.
" Well, Skadi," quoth Odin gravely, "your
father was a thief, and died for his sins. He
stole fair Idun and her magic apples, and
for that crime he died, which was only just.
Yet because our righteous deed has left
you an orphan, Skadi, we will grant you a
recompense, so you shall be at peace with
us ; for it is not fitting that the ^Esir should
quarrel with women. What is it you ask,

Skadi, as solace for the death of Thi-
asse ? "

Skadi looked like an orphan who was
well able to take care of herself; and this
indeed her next words showed her to be.
" I ask two things," she said, without a mo-
ment's hesitation: "I ask the husband whom

1 shall select from among you ; and I ask
that you shall make me laugh, for it is
many days since grief has let me enjoy a
smile."

At this strange request the iEsir looked
astonished, and some of them seemed rather

SKADI'S CHOICE 73

startled; for you can fancy that none of
them wanted a giantess, however handsome,
for his wife. They put their heads together
and consulted long whether or not they
should allow Skadi her two wishes.

" I will agree to make her laugh," grinned
Loki; "but suppose she should choose me
for her husband ! I am married to one giant-
ess already."

" No fear of that, Loki," said Thor ; " you
were too near being the cause of her father's
death for her to love you overmuch. Nor
do I think that she will choose me ; so I am
safe."

Loki chuckled and stole away to think
up a means of making Skadi laugh.

Finally, the gods agreed that Skadi should
choose one of them for her husband ; but
in order that all might have a fair chance
of missing this honor which no one coveted,
she was to choose in a curious way. All
the ^sir were to stand in a row behind the
curtain which was drawn across the end of
the hall, so that only their feet were seen by
Skadi ; and by their feet alone Skadi was to
select him who was to be her husband.

74 SKADI'S CHOICE

Now Skadi was very ready to agree to
this, for she said to herself, " Surely, I shall
know the feet of Balder, for they will be the
most beautiful of any."

Amid nervous laughter at this new game,
the iEsir ranged themselves in a row behind
the purple curtain, with only their line of
feet showing below the golden border. There
were Father Odin, Thor the Thunderer, and
Balder his brother ; there was old Niord the
rich, with his fair son Frey ; there were Tyr
the bold, Bragi the poet, blind Hod, and
Vidar the silent; Vali and UU the archers,
Forseti the wise judge, and Heimdal the gold-
toothed watchman. Loki alone, of all the
MsiT, was not there ; and Loki was the only
one who did not shiver as Skadi walked up
and down the hall looking at the row of
feet.

Up and down, back and forth, went Skadi,
looking carefully ; and among all those san-
daled feet there was one pair more white
and fair and beautiful than the rest.

" Surely, these are Balder's feet ! " she
thought, while her heart thumped with
eagerness under her silver corselet. "Oh,

SKADI'S CHOICE 75

if I guess aright, dear Balder will be my
husband I "

She paused confidently before the hand-
somest pair of feet, and, pointing to them
with her spear, she cried, " I choose here !
Few blemishes are to be found in Balder the
beautiful."

A shout of laughter arose behind the cur-
tain, and forth slunk — not young Balder,
but old Niord the rich, king of the ocean
wind, the father of those fair twins, Frey and
Freia. Skadi had chosen the handsome feet
of old Niord, and thenceforth he must be her
husband.

Niord was little pleased ; but Skadi was
heart-broken. Her face grew longer and sad-
der than before when he stepped up and
took her hand sulkily, saying, " Well, I am
to be your husband, then, and all my riches
stored in Noatun, the home of ships, are to
be yours. You would have chosen Balder,
ind I wish that this luck had been his !
However, it cannot be helped now."

"Nay," answered Skadi, frowning, "the
bargain is not yet complete. No one of you
has made me laugh. I am so sad now, that

76 SKADI'S CHOICE

it will be a merry jest indeed which can wring
laughter from my heavy heart." She sighed,
looking at Balder. But Balder loved only
Nanna in all the world.

Just then, out came Loki, riding on one
of Thor's goat steeds ; and the red-bearded
fellow cut up such ridiculous capers with
the gray-bearded goat that soon not only
Skadi, but all the Msh and Niord himself
were holding their sides with laughter.

" Fairly won, fairly won I " cried Skadi,
wiping the tears from her eyes. " I am
beaten. I shall not forget that it is Loki to
whom I owe this last joke. Some day I shall
be quits with you, red joker ! " And this
threat she carried out in the end, on the day
of Loki's punishment.

Skadi was married to old Niord, both un-
willing; and they went to live among the
mountains in Skadi's home, which had once
been Thiasse's palace, where he had shut
Idun in a prison cell. As you can imagine,
Niord and Skadi did not live happily ever
after, like the good prince and princess in
the story-book. For, in the first place, Skadi
was a giantess; and there are few folk, I

SKADI'S CHOICE 77

fency, who could live happily with a giantess.
In the second place, she did not love Niord,
nor did he love Skadi, and neither forgot
that Skadi's choosing had been sorrow to
them both. But the third reason was the
most important of all ; and this was because
Skadi and Niord could not agree upon the
place which should be their home. For
Niord did not like the mountain palace of
Skadi's people, — the place where roaring
winds rushed down upon the sea and its
ships. The sea with its ships was his friend,
and he wanted to dwell in Noatun, where
he had greater wealth than any one else in
the world, — where he could rule the fresh
sea-wind and tame the wild ocean, granting
the prayers of fisher-folk and the seafarers,
who loved his name.

Finally, they agreed to dwell first in one
place, then in the other, so that each might
be happy in turn. For nine days they tar-
ried in Thrymheim, and then they spent
three in Noatun. But even this arrange-
ment could not bring peace. One day they
had a terrible quarrel. It was just after they
had come down from Skadi's mountain home

78 SKADI'S CHOICE

for their three days in Niord's sea palace, and
he was so glad to be back that he cried, —

" Ah, how I hate your hills ! How long
the nine nights seemed, with the wolves howl-
ing until dawn among the dark mountains
of Giant Land ! What a discord compared
to the songs of the swans who sail upon my
dear, dear ocean ! " Thus rudely he taunted
his wife ; but Skadi answered him with spirit.

" And I — I cannot sleep by your rolling
sea-waves, where the birds are ever calling,
calling, as they come from the woods on the
shore. Each morning the sea-gull's scream
wakes me at some unseemly hour. I will
not stay here even for three nights I I will
not stay ! "

" And I will have no more of your windy
mountain-tops," roared Niord, beside him-
self with rage. " Go, if you wish ! Go back
to Thrymheim ! I shall not follow you, be

sure ! "

So Skadi went back to her mountains
alone, and dwelt in the empty house of
Thiasse, her father. She became a mighty
huntress, swift on the skees and ice-runners
which she strapped to her feet. Day after

SKADI'S CHOICE 79

day she skimmed over the snow-crusted
mountains, bow in hand, to hunt the wild
beasts which roamed there. " Skee-goddess,"
she was called ; and never again did she
come to Asgard halls. Quite alone in the
cold country, she hunted hardily, keeping
ever in her heart the image of Balder the
beautiful, whom she loved, but whom she
had lost forever by her unlucky choice.

THE DWARF'S GIFTS t

RED Loki had been up to mischief
again ! Loki, who made quarrels and
"^ brought trouble wherever he went.
He had a wicked heart, and he loved no one.
He envied Father Odin his wisdom and his
throne above the world. He envied Balder
his beauty, and Tyr his courage, and Thor
his strength. He envied all the good ^sir
who were happy; but he would not take
the trouble to be good himself. So he was
always unhappy, spiteful, and sour. And if
anything went wrong in Asgard, the king-
dom of the gods, one w^as almost sure to find
Loki at the bottom of the trouble.

Now Thor, the strongest of all the gods,
was very proud of his wife's beautiful hair,
which fell in golden waves to her feet, and
covered her like a veil. He loved it better
than anything, except Sif herself One day,
while Thor was away from home, Loki stole
into Thrudheim, the realm of clouds, and
cut off all Sif 's golden hair, till her head
was as round and fuzzy as a yellow dande-
lion. Fancy how angry Thor was when he

THE DWARFS GIFTS 8i

came rattling home that night in his thun-
der-chariot and found Sif so ugly to look
at! He stamped up and down till the five
hundred and forty floors of his cloud pal-
ace shook like an earthquake, and lightning
flashed from his blue eyes. The people down
in the world below cried: " Dear, dear! What
a terrible thunderstorm ! Thor must be very
angry about something. Loki has been up
to mischief, it is likely." You see, they also,
knew Loki and his tricks.

At last Thor calmed himself a little. " Sif,
my love," he said, "you shall be beautiful
again. Red Loki shall make you so, since his
was the unmaking. The villain! He shall
pay for this I "

Then, without more ado, off set Thor to
find red Loki. He went in his thunder-
chariot, drawn by two goats, and the clouds
rumbled and the lightning flashed wherever
he went ; for Thor was the mighty god of
thunder. At last he came upon the sly
rascal, who was trying to hide. Big Thor
seized him by the throat.

" You scoundrel I " he cried, " I will break
every bone in your body if you do not put
back Sif 's beautiful hair upon her head."

82 THE DWARF'S GIFTS

" Ow — ow ! You hurt me ! " howled
Loki. "Take off your big hand, Thor.
What is done, is done. I cannot put back
Sif 's hair. You know that very well."

" Then you must get her another head of
hair," growled Thor. "That you can do.
You must find for her hair of real gold, and
it must grow upon her head as if it were
her own. Do this, or you shall die."

"Where shall I get this famous hair?"
whined Loki, though he knew well enough.

" Get it of the black elves," said Thor ;
"they are cunning jewelers, and they are
your friends. Go, Loki, and go quickly, for
I long to see Sif as beautiful as ever."

Then Loki of the burning beard slunk
away to the hills where, far under ground, the
dwarfs have their furnaces and their work-
shops. Among great heaps of gold and silver
and shining jewels, which they have dug up
out of the earth, the little crooked men in
brown blink and chatter and scold one an-
other; for they are ugly fellows — the dwarfs.
Tink-iank! tink-tank! go their little hammers
all day long and all night long, while they
make wonderful things such as no man

THE DWARF'S GIFTS 83

has ever seen, though you shall hear about
them.

They had no trouble to make a head of
hair for Sif It was for them a simple matter,
indeed. The dwarfs work, fast for such a cus-
tomer as Loki, and in a little while the
golden wires were beaten out, and drawn out,
made smooth and soft and curly, and braided
into 3. thick golden braid. But when Loki
came away, he carried with him also two
other treasures which the clever dwarfs had
made. One was a golden spear, and the other
was a ship.

Now these do not sound so very wonder-
ful. But wait until you hear! The spear,
which was named Gungnir, was bewitched, so
that it made no difference if the person who
held it was clumsy and careless. For it had
this amazing quality, that no matter how
badly it was aimed, or how unskillfully it was
thrown, it was sure to go straight to the mark
— which is a very obliging and convenient
thing in one's weapon, as you will readily
see.

And Skidbladnir — this was the harsh
name of the ship — was even more won-

84 THE DWARFS GIFTS

derful. It could be taken to pieces and
folded up so small that it would go into one's
pocket. But when it was unfolded and put
together, it would hold all the gods of Asgard
for a sea-journey. Besides all this, when the
sails were set, the ship was sure always to have
a fair wind, which would make it skim along
like a great bird, which was the best part of
the charm, as any sailor will tell you.

Now Loki felt very proud of these three
treasures, and left the hill cave stretching his
neck and strutting like a great red turkey
cock. Outside the gate, however, he met
Brock, the black dwarf, who was the brother
of Sindri, the best workman in all the under-
world.

" Hello ! what have you there ? " asked
Brock of the big head, pointing at the bun-
dles which Loki was carrying.

"The three finest gifts in the world,"
boasted Loki, hugging his treasures tight.

"Pooh I" said Brock, "I don't believe it.
Did my brother Sindri make them?"

" No," answered Loki ; " they were made
by the black elves, the sons of Ivaldi. And
they are the most precious gifts that ever were
seen."

THE DWARFS GIFTS 85

"Pooh!" again pufFed Brock, wagging
his long beard crossly. " Nonsense ! What-
ever they be, my brother Sindri can make
three other gifts more precious ; that I know."

"Can he, though?" laughed Loki. "I
will give him my head if he can."

" Done ! " shouted the dwarf " Let me see
your famous gifts." So Loki showed him the
three wonders : the gold hair for Sif, the spear,
and the ship. But again the dwarf said:
" Pooh ! These are nothing. I will show you
what the master-smith can do, and you shall
lose your bragging red head, my Loki."

Now Loki began to be a little uneasy.
He followed Brock back to the smithy in
the mountain, where they found Sindri at his
forge. Oh, yes! He could beat the poor
gifts of which Loki was so proud. But he
would not tell what his own three gifts were
to be.

First Sindri took a pig's skin and laid it
on the fire. Then he went away for a little
time; but he set Brock at the bellows and
bade him blow — blow — blow the fire
until Sindri should return. Now when Sin-
dri was gone, Loki also stole away; for, as

86 THE DWARF'S GIFTS

«

usual, he was up to mischief. He had the
power of changing his shape and of becom-
ing any creature he chose, which was often
very convenient. Thus he turned himself
into a huge biting fly. Then he flew back
into the smithy where Brock was blow —
blow — blowing. Loki buzzed about the
dwarf's head, and finally lighted on his hand
and stung him, hoping to make him let go
the bellows. But no ! Brock only cried out,
" Oh-ee ! " and kept on blowing for dear life.
Now soon back came Sindri to the forge and
took the pigskin from the fire. Wonder of
wonders ! It had turned into a hog with
golden bristles; a live hog that shone like
the sun. Brock was not satisfied, however.

" Well ! I don't think much of that," he
grumbled.

" Wait a little," said Sindri mysteriously.
"Wait and see." Then he went on to make
the second gift.

This time he put a lump of gold into the
fire. And when he went away, as before, he
bade Brock stand at the bellows to blow —
blow — blow without stopping. Again, as
before, in buzzed Loki the gadfly as soon

THE DWARF'S GIFTS 87

as the master-smith had gone out. This time
he settled on Brock's swarthy neck, and stung
him so sorely that the blood came and the
dwarf roared till the mountain trembled.
Still Brock did not let go the handle of the
bellows, but blew and howled — blew and
howled with pain till Sindri returned. And
this time the dwarf took from the fire a fine
gold ring, round as roundness.

" Um ! I don't think so much of that,"
said Brock, again disappointed, for he had
expected some wonderful jewel. But Sindri
wagged his head wisely.

" Wait a little," he said. " We shall see
what we shall see." He heaved a great lump
of iron into the fire to make the third gift.
But this time when he went away, leaving
Brock at the bellows, he charged him to blow
— blow — blow without a minute's rest, or
everything would be spoiled. For this was to
be the best gift of all.

Brock planted himself wide-legged at the
forge and blew — blew — blew. But for
the third time Loki, winged as a fly, came
buzzing into the smithy. This time he fas-
tened viciously below Brock's bushy eye-

88 THE DWARF'S GIFTS

brow, and stung him so cruelly that the blood
trickled down, a red river, into his eyes and
the poor dwarf was blinded. With a howl
Brock raised his hand to wipe away the
blood, and of course in that minute the bel-
lows stood still. Then Loki buzzed away
with a sound that seemed like a mocking
laugh. At the same moment in rushed Sin-
dri, panting with fright, for he had heard that
sound and guessed what it meant.

" What have you done ? " he cried. " You
have let the bellows rest ! You have spoiled
everything ! "

" Only a little moment, but one little mo-
ment," pleaded Brock, in a panic. " It has
done no harm, has it ? "

Sindri leaned anxiously over the fire, and
out of the flames he drew the third gift —
an enormous hammer.

" Oh ! " said Brock, much disappointed,
" only an old iron hammer ! I don't think
anything of that. Look how short the handle
is, too."

" That is your fault, brother," returned the
smith crossly. " If you had not let the bel-
lows stand still, the handle would have been

THE THIRD GIFT — AN ENORMOUS
HAMMER

THE DWARFS GIFTS 89

long enough. Yet as it is — we shall see, we
shall see. I think it will at least win for you
red Loki's head. Take the three gifts, brother,
such as they are, and bear them to Asgard.
Let all the gods be judges between you and
Loki, which gifts are best, his or yours. But
stay — I may as well tell you the secrets of
your three treasures, or you will not know
how to make them work. Your toy that is
not wound up is of no use at all." Which
is very true, as we all know. Then he bent
over and whispered in Brock's ear. And what
he said pleased Brock so much that he
jumped straight up into the air and capered
like one of Thor's goats.

"What a clever brother you are, to be
sure ! " he cried.

At that moment Loki, who had ceased to
be a gadfly, came in grinning, with his three
gifts. " Well, are you ready ? " he asked.
Then he caught sight of the three gifts which
Brock was putting into his sack.

" Ho ! A pig, a ring, and a stub-handled
hammer!" he shouted. "Is that all you
have ? Fine gifts, indeed ! I was really grow-
ing uneasy, but now I see that my head is

go THE DWARF'S GIFTS

safe. Let us start for Asgard immediately,
where I promise you that I with my three
treasures shall be thrice more welcome than
you with your stupid pig, your ugly ring,
and your half-made hammer."
^ So together they climbed to Asgard, and
there they found the ^sir sitting in the
great judgment hall on Ida Plain. There was
Father Odin on his high throne, with his two
ravens at his head and his two wolves at his
feet. There was Queen Frigg by his side;
and about them were Balder the beautiful,
Frey and Freia, the fair brother and sister;
the mighty Thor, with Sif, his crop-haired
wife, and all the rest of the great ^sir who
lived in the upper world above the homes
of men.

" Brother ^slr," said Loki, bowing po-
litely, for he was a smooth rascal, " we have
come each with three gifts, the dwarf and I ;
and you shall judge which be the most
worthy of praise. But if I lose, — I, your
brother, — I lose my head to this crooked
little dwarf" So he spoke, hoping to put the
iEsir on his side from the first. For his head
was a very handsome one, and the dwarf

THE DWARFS GIFTS 91

was indeed an ill-looking fellow. The gods,
however, nodded gravely, and bade the two
show what their gifts might be.

Then Loki stepped forward to the foot of
Odin's throne. And first he pulled from his
great wallet the spear Gungnir, which could
not miss aim. This he gave to Odin, the all-
wise. And Odin was vastly pleased, as you
may imagine, to find himself thenceforth an
unequaled marksman. So he smiled upon
Loki kindly and said : " Well done, brother."

Next Loki took out the promised hair for
Sif, which he handed Thor with a grimace.
Now when the golden locks were set upon
her head, they grew there like real hair, long
and soft and curling — but still" real gold.
So that Sif was more beautiful than ever be-
fore, and more precious, too. You can fancy
how pleased Thor was with Loki's gift. He
kissed lovely Sif before all the gods and
goddesses, and vowed that he forgave Loki
for the mischief which he had done in the
first place, since he had so nobly made repara-
tion.

Then Loki took out the third gift, all
folded up like a paper boat ; and it was the

92 THE DWARF'S GIFTS

ship Skidbladnir, — I am sorry they did not
give it a prettier name. This he presented
to Frey the peaceful. And you can guess
whether or not Frey's blue eyes laughed with
pleasure at such a gift.

Now when Loki stepped back, all the ^sir
clapped their hands and vowed that he had
done wondrous well.

" You will have to show us fine things,
you dwarf," quoth Father Odin, " to better the
gifts of red Loki. Come, what have you in
the sack you bear upon your shoulders ? "

Then the crooked little Brock hobbled for-
ward, bent almost double under the great
load which he carried. " I have what I have,"
he said.

First, out he pulled the ring Draupnir,
round as roundness and shining of gold. This
the dwarf gave to Odin, and though it seemed
but little, yet it was much. For every ninth
night out of this ring, he said, would drop
eight other rings of gold, as large and as fair.
Then Odin clapped his hands and cried : " Oh,
wondrous gift! I like it even better than
the magic spear which Loki gave." And all
the other Msir agreed with him.

THE DWARFS GIFTS 93

Then out of the sack came grunting Gold-
bristle, the hog, all of gold. Brock gave
him to Frey, to match the magic ship of
Loki. This Goldbristle was so marvelously
forged that he could run more swiftly than
any horse, on air or water. Moreover, he
was a living lantern. For on the darkest
night he bristled with light like a million-
pointed star, so that one riding on his back
would light the air and the sea like a firefly,
wherever he went. This idea pleased Frey
mightily, for he was the merriest of the gods,
and he laughed aloud.

'"Tis a wondrous fine gift," he said. "I
like old Goldbristle even better than the
compressible boat. For on this lusty steed I
can ride about the world when I am tending
the crops and the cattle of men and scattering
the rain upon them. Master dwarf, I give
my vote to you." And all the other iEsir
agreed with him.

Then out of the sack Brock drew the third
gift. It was the short-handled hammer named
Miolnir. And this was the gift which Sindri
had made for Thor, the mightiest of the gods ;
and it was the best gift of all. For with it

94 THE DWARFS GIFTS

Thor could burst the hardest metal and
shatter the thickest mountain, and nothing
could withstand its power. But it never could
hurt Thor himself; and no matter how far
or how hard it was thrown, it would always
fly back into Thor's own hand. Last of all,
whenever he so wished, the great hammer
would become so small that he could put it
in his pocket, quite out of sight. But Brock
was sorry that the handle was so short — all
owing to his fault, because he had let the
bellows rest for that one moment.

When Thor had this gift in his hand, he
jumped up with a shout of joy. " 'T is a
wondrous fine gift," he cried, "with short
handle or with long. And I prize it even
more than I prize the golden hair of Sif
which Loki gave. For with it I shall fight
our enemies, the Frost Giants and the mis-
chievous Trolls and the other monsters —
Loki's friends. And all the ^sir will be glad
of my gift when they see what deeds I shall
do therewith. Now, if I may have my say,
I judge that the three gifts made by Sindri
the dwarf are the most precious that may be.
So Brock has gained the prize of Loki's red

THE DWARF'S GIFTS 95

head, — a sorry recompense indeed for gifts
so masterly." Then Thor sat down. And all
the other ^Esir shouted that he had spoken
well, and that they agreed with him.

So Loki was like to lose his head. He of-
fered to pay instead a huge price, if Brock
would let him go. But Brock refused. "The
red head of Loki for my gift," he insisted,
and the gods nodded that it must be so, since
he had earned his wish.

But when Loki saw that the count was all
against him, his eyes grew crafty. " Well,
take me, then — if you can!" he shouted. And
off he shot like an arrow from a bow. For
Loki had on magic shoes, with which he could
run over sea or land or sky; and the dwarf
could never catch him in the world. Then
Brock was furious. He stood stamping and
chattering, tearing his long beard with rage.

" I am cheated I " he cried. " I have won
— but I have lost." Then he turned to Thor,
who was playing with his hammer, bursting
a mountain or two and splitting a tree here
and there. " Mighty Thor," begged the
dwarf, " catch me the fellow who has broken
his word. I have given you the best gift, — ■

96 THE DWARFS GIFTS

your wonderful hammer. Catch me, then,
the boasting red head which I have fairly
bought."

Then Thor stopped his game and set out
in pursuit of Loki, for he was ever on the
side of fairness. No one, however fleet, can
escape when Thor follows, for his is the
swiftness of a lightning flash. So he soon
brought Loki back to Ida Plain, and gave
him up a prisoner to the dwarf

" I have you now, boaster," said Brock
fiercely, " and I will cut off your red head in
the twinkling of an eye." But just as he was
about to do as he said, Loki had another sly
idea.

" Hold, sirrah dwarf," he said. " It is true
that you have won my head, but not the
neck, not an inch of the neck." And all the
gods agreed that this was so. Then Brock
was puzzled indeed, for how could he cut
off Loki's head without an inch of the neck,
too ? But this he must not do, or he knew
the just ^Esir would punish him with death.
So he was forced to be content with stopping
Loki's boasting in another way. He would
sew up the bragging lips.

THE DWARF'S GIFTS 97

He brought a stout, strong thread and an
awl to bore the holes. And in a twinkling
he had stitched up the lips of the sly one, firm
and fast. So for a time, at least, he put an
end to Loki's boasting and his taunts and his
lies.

It is a pity that those mischief-making lips
were not fastened up forever; for that would
have saved much of the trouble and sorrow
which came after. But at last, after a long
time, Loki got his lips free, and they made
great sorrow in Asgard for the gods and on
earth for men, as you shall hear.

Now this is the end of the tale which tells
of the dwarf's gifts, and especially of Thor's
hammer, which was afterwards to be of such
service to him and such bane to the enemies
of the vEsir. And that also you shall hear
before all is done.

LOKI'S CHILDREN t t

RED Loki, the wickedest of all the
JEsir, had done something of which
"^ he was very much ashamed. He
had married a giantess, the ugliest, fiercest,
most dreadful giantess that ever lived ;
and of course he wanted no one to find
out what he had done, for he knew that
Father Odin would be indignant with him
for having wedded one of the enemies of the
-^sir, and that none of his brothers would be
grateful to him for giving them a sister-in-law
so hideous.

But at last All-Father found out the secret
that Loki had been hiding for years. Worst
of all, he found that Loki and the giantess
had three ugly children hidden away in the
dark places of the earth, — three children
of whom Loki was even more ashamed than
of their mother, though he loved them too.
For two of them were the most terrible
monsters which time had ever seen. Hela
his daughter was the least ugly of the three,
though one could scarcely call her attractive.
She was half black and half white, which

LOKI'S CHILDREN 99

must have looked very strange ; and she was
not easily mistaken by any one who chanced
to see her, you can well understand. She
was fierce and grim to see, and the very sight
of her caused terror and death to him who
gazed upon her.

But the other two ! One was an enormous
wolf, with long fierce teeth and flashing red
eyes. And the other was a scaly, slimy, hor-
rible serpent, huger than any serpent that ever
lived, and a hundred times more ferocious.
Can you wonder that Loki was ashamed of
such children as these ? The wonder is, how
he could find anything about them to love.
But Loki's heart loved evil in secret, and it
was the evil in these three children of his
which made them so ugly.

Now when Odin discovered that three
such monsters had been living in the world
without his knowledge, he was both angry
and anxious, for he knew that these children
of mischievous Loki and his wicked giantess-
wife were dangerous to the peace of Asgard.
He consulted the Norns, the three wise
maidens who lived beside the Urdar-well, and
who could see into the future to tell what

loo LOKI'S CHILDREN

things were to happen in coming years. And
they bade him beware of Loki's children;
they told him that the three monsters would
bring great sorrow upon Asgard, for the giant-
ess their mother would teach them all her
hatred of Odin's race, while they would have
their father's sly wisdom to help them in all
mischief So Odin knew that his fears had
warned him truly. Something must be done
to prevent the dangers which threatened As-
gard. Something must be done to keep the
three out of mischief

Father Odin sent for all the gods, and
bade them go forth over the world, find the
children of Loki in the secret places where
they were hidden, and bring them to him.
Then the ^Esir mounted their horses and set
out on their diflBcult errand. They scoured
Asgard, Midgard the world of men, Utgard
and Jotunheim where the giants lived. And
at last they found the three horrible creatures
hiding in their mother's cave. They dragged
them forth and took them up to Asgard, be-
fore Odin's high throne.

Now All-Father had been considering what
should be done with the three monsters, and

LOKI'S CHILDREN loi

when they came, his mind was made up.
Hela, the daughter, was less evil than the
other two, but her face was dark and gloomy,
and she brought death to those who looked
upon her. She must be prisoned out of
sight in some far place, where her sad eyes
could not look sorrow into men's lives and
death into their hearts. So he sent her down,
down into the dark, cold land of Niflheim,
which lay below one root of the great tree
Yggdrasil. Here she must live forever and
ever. And, because she was not wholly bad,
Odin made her queen of that land, and for
her subjects she was to have all the folk who
died upon the earth, — except the heroes
who perished in battle ; for these the Valky-
ries carried straight to Valhalla in Asgard,
But all who died of sickness or of old age,
all who met their deaths through accident or
men's cruelty, were sent to Queen Hela, who
gave them lodgings in her gloomy palace.
Vast was her kingdom, huge as nine worlds,
and it was surrounded by a high wall, so that
no one who had once gone thither could ever
return. And here thenceforth Loki's daugh-
ter reigned among the shadows, herself half

I02 LOKI'S CHILDREN

shadow and half light, half good and half
bad.

But the Midgard serpent was a more dan-
gerous beast even than Death. Odin frowned
when he looked upon this monster writhing
before his throne. He seized the scaly length
in his mighty arms and hurled it forth over
the wall of Asgard. Down, down went the
great serpent, twisting and twirling as he fell,
while all the sky was black with the smoke
from his nostrils, and the sound of his hissing
made every creature tremble. Down, down
he fell with a great splash into the deep
ocean which surrounded the world. There he
lay writhing and squirming, growing always
larger and larger, until he was so huge that
he stretched like a ring about the whole
earth, with his tail in his mouth, and his
wicked eyes glaring up through the water
towards Asgard which he hated. Sometimes
he heaved himself up, great body and all,
trying to escape from the ocean which was
his prison. At those times there were great
waves in the sea, snow and stormy winds and
rain upon the earth, and every one would
be filled with fear lest he escape and bring

LOKI'S CHILDREN 103

horrors to pass. But he was never able to
drag out his whole hideous length. For the
evil in him had grown with his growth ; and
a weight of evil is the heaviest of all things
to lift.

y/The third monster was the Fenris wolf,
and this was the most dreadful of the three.
He was so terrible that at first Father Odin
decided not to let him out of his sight. He
lived in Asgard then, among the ^sir.
Only Tyr the brave had courage enough to
give' him food. Day by day he grew huger
and huger, fiercer and fiercer, and finally,
when All-Father saw how mighty he had
become, and how he bid fair to bring de-
struction upon all Asgard if he were allowed
to prowl and growl about as he saw fit, Odin
resolved to have the beast chained up. The
^sir then went to their smithies and forged
a long, strong chain which they thought no
living creature could break. They took it
to the wolf to try its strength, and he, look-
ing sidewise, chuckled to himself and let
them do what they would with him. But
as soon as he stretched himself^ the chain
burst into a thousand pieces, as if it were

I04 LOKI'S CHILDREN

made of twine. Then the jEsir hurried away
and made another chain, far, far stronger than
the first.

" If you can break this, O Fenrir," they
said, " you will be famous indeed."

Again the wolf blinked at his chain;
again he chuckled and let them fasten him
without a struggle, for he knew that his
own strength had been increased since he
broke the other; but as soon as the chain
was fastened, he shook his great shoulders,
kicked his mighty legs, and — snap! — the
links of the chain went whirling far and
wide, and once more the fierce beast was
free.

Then the ^sir were alarmed for fear that
they would never be able to make a chain
mighty enough to hold the wolf, who was
growing stronger every minute ; but they
sent Skirnir, Frey's trusty messenger, to the
land of the dwarfs for help. "Make us a
chain," was the message he bore from the
vEsir, — " make us a chain stronger than
any chain that was ever forged; for the
Fenris wolf must be captured and bound,
or all the world must pay the penalty."

LOKI'S CHILDREN 105

The dwarfe were the finest workmen in
the world, as the ^sir knew; for it was
they who made Thor's hammer, and Odin's
spear, and Balder's famous ship, besides
many other wondrous things that you re-
member. So when Skirnir gave them the
message, they set to work with their little
hammers and anvils, and before long they
had welded a wonderful chain, such as no
man had ever before seen. Strange things
went to the making of it, — the sound of
a cat's footsteps, the roots of a mountain,
a bear's sinews, a fish's breath, and other
magic materials that only the dwarfs knew
how to put together ; and the result was a
chain as soft and twistable as a silken cord,
but stronger than an iron cable. With this
chain Skirnir galloped back to Asgard, and
with it the gods were sure of chaining
Fenrir ; but they meant to go about the
business slyly, so that the wolf should not
suspect the danger which was so near.

"Ho, Fenrir!" they cried. "Here is a
new chain for you. Do you think you can
snap this as easily as you did the last?
We warn you that it is stronger than it

io6 LOKI'S CHILDREN

looks." They handed it about from one
to another, each trying to break the links,
but in vain. The wolf watched them dis-
dainfully.

" Pooh ! There is little honor in break-
ing a thread so slender ! " he said. " I know
that I could snap it with one bite of my big
teeth. But there may be some trick about
it ; I will not let it bind my feet, — not I."

" Oho ! " cried the ^sir. " He is afraid !
He fears that we shall bind him in cords
that he cannot loose. But see how slender
the chain is. Surely, if you could burst the
chain of iron, O Fenrir, you could break
this far more easily." Still the wolf shook
his head, and refused to let them fasten him,
suspecting some trick. "But even if you
find that you cannot break our chain," they
said, "you need not be afraid. We shall
set you free again."

" Set me free ! " growled the wolf " Yes,
you will set me free at the end of the world,
— not before I I know your ways, O ^sir ;
and if you are able to bind me so fast that
I cannot free myself, I shall wait long to
have the chain made loose. But no one

LOKI'S CHILDREN 107

shall call me coward. If one of you will
place his hand in my mouth and hold it
there while the others bind me, I will let
the chain be fastened."

The gods looked at one another, their
mouths drooping. Who would do this
thing and bear the fury of the angry wolf
when he should find himself tricked and
captured ? Yet this was their only chance
to bind the monster and protect Asgard
from danger. At last bold Tyr stepped for-
ward, the bravest of all the ^sir. "Open
your mouth, Fenrir," he cried, with a laugh.
" I will pledge my hand to the trial."

Then the wolf yawned his great jaws,
and Tyr thrust in his good right hand,
knowing full well that he was to lose it
in the game. The ^Esir stepped up with
the dwarfs' magic chain, and Fenrir let
them fasten it about his feet. But when
the bonds were drawn tight, he began
to struggle ; and the more he tugged, the
tighter drew the chain, so that he soon saw
himself to be entrapped. Then how he
writhed and kicked, howled and growled, in
his terrible rage I How the heavens trem-

io8 LOKI'S CHILDREN

bled and the earth shook below I The Mslx
set up a laugh to see him so helpless — all
except Tyr ; for at the first sound of laugh-
ter the wolf shut his great mouth with a
click, and poor brave Tyr had lost the right
hand which had done so many heroic deeds
in battle, and which would never again
wave sword before the warriors whom he
loved and would help to win the victory.
But great was the honor which he won that
day, for without his generous deed the Fen-
ris wolf could never have been captured.

And now the monster was safely secured
by the strong chain which the dwarfs had
made, and all his struggles to be free were
in vain, for they only bound the silken rope
all the tighter. The ^Esir took one end of
the chain and fastened it through a big rock
which they planted far down in the earth,
as far as they could drive it with a huge
hammer of stone. Into the wolf's great mouth
they thrust a sword crosswise, so that the
hilt pierced his lower jaw while the point
stuck through the upper one; and there in
the heart of the world he lay howling and
growling, but quite unable to move. Only

LOKI'S CHILDREN 109

the foam which dripped from his angry jaws
trickled away and over the earth until it
formed a mighty river ; from his wicked
mouth also came smoke and fire, and the
sound of his horrible growls. And when
men hear this and see this they run away as
fast as they can, for they know that danger
still lurks near where die Fenris wolf lies
chained in the depths of the earth ; and here
he will lie until Ragnarok, — until the end
of all things.

THE qUEST OF THE
HAMMER t t t t t t t

ONE morning Thor the Thunderer
awoke with a yawn, and stretch-
ing out his knotted arm, felt for
his precious hammer, which he kept always
under his pillow of clouds. But he started
up with a roar of rage, so that all the palace
trembled. The hammer was gone !

Now this was a very serious matter, for
Thor was the protector of Asgard, and Mi-
olnir, the magic hammer which the dwarf
had made, was his mighty weapon, of which
the enemies of the JEsir stood so much
in dread that they dared not venture near.
But if they should learn that Miolnir was
gone, who could tell what danger might not
threaten the palaces of heaven ?

Thor darted his flashing eye into every
corner of Cloud Land in search of the ham-
mer. He called his fair wife, Sif of the
golden hair, to aid in the search, and his
two lovely daughters, Thrude and Lora.
They hunted and they hunted ; they turned
Thrudheim upside down, and set the clouds

THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER in

to rolling wonderfully, as they peeped and
pried behind and around and under each
billowy mass. But Miolnir was not to be
found. Certainly, some one had stolen it.

Thor's yellow beard quivered with rage,
and his hair bristled on end like the golden
rays of a star, while all his household trem-
bled.

" It is Loki again ! " he cried. " I am sure
Loki is at the bottom of this mischief ! "
For since the time when Thor had captured
Loki for the dwarf Brock and had given
him over to have his bragging lips sewed
up, Loki had looked at him with evil eyes ;
and Thor knew that the red rascal hated
him most of all the gods.

But this time Thor was mistaken. It was
not Loki who had stolen the hammer, —
he was too great a coward for that. And
though he meant, before the end, to be re-
venged upon Thor, he was waiting until a
safe chance should come, when Thor him-
self might stumble into danger, and Loki
need only to help the evil by a malicious
word or two; and this chance came later,
as you shall hear in another tale.

112 THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER

Meanwhile Loki was on his best behavior,
trying to appear very kind and obliging; so
when Thor came rumbling and roaring up
to him, demanding, " What have you done
with my hammer, you thief? " Loki looked
surprised, but did not lose his temper nor
answer rudely.

" Have you indeed missed your hammer,
brother Thor ? " he said, mumbling, for his
mouth was still sore where Brock had sewed
the stitches. " That is a pity ; for if the
giants hear of this, they will be coming to
try their might against Asgard."

" Hush ! " muttered Thor, grasping him
by the shoulder with his iron fingers. " That
is what I fear. But look you, Loki : I sus-
pect your hand in the mischief Come, con-
fess."

Then Loki protested that he had nothing
to do with so wicked a deed. "But," he
added wheedlingly, "I think I can guess
the thief; and because I love you, Thor, I
will help you to find him."

" Humph ! " growled Thor. " Much love
you bear to me ! However, you are a wise
rascal, the nimblest wit of all the ^sir, and

THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER 113

it is better to have you on my side than
on the other, when giants are in the game.
Tell me, then : who has robbed the Thun-
der-Lord of his bolt of power ? "

Loki drew near and whispered in Thor's
ear. "Look, how the storms rage and the
winds howl in the world below I Some one
is wielding your thunder-hammer all unskill-
fuUy. Can you not guess the thief? Who
but Thrym, the mighty giant who has ever
been your enemy and your imitator, and
whose fingers have long itched to grasp the
short handle of mighty Miolnir, that the
world may name him Thunder-Lord instead
of you. But look ! What a tempest ! The
world will be shattered into fragments un-
less we soon get the hammer back."

Then Thor roared with rage. " I will seek
this impudent Thrym ! " he cried. " I will
crush him into bits, and teach him to med-
dle with the weapon of the ^sir I "

" Softly, softly," said Loki, smiling mali-
ciously. " He is a shrewd giant, and a
mighty. Even you, great Thor, cannot go
to him and pluck the hammer from his
hand as one would slip the rattle from a

114 THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER

baby's pink fist. Nay, you must use craft,
Thor; and it is I who will teach you, if
you will be patient."

Thor was a brave, blunt fellow, and he
hated the ways of Loki, his lies and his de-
ceit. He liked best the way of warriors, —
the thundering charge, the flash of weapons,
and the heavy blow ; but without the ham-
mer he could not fight the giants hand to
hand. Loki's advice seemed wise, and he
decided to leave the matter to the Red One.

Loki was now all eagerness, for he loved
difficulties which would set his wit in play
and bring other folk into danger. "Look,
now," he said. " We must go to Freia and
borrow her falcon dress. But you must ask ;
for she loves me so little that she would
scarce listen to me."

So first diey made their way to Folkvang,
the house of maidens, where Freia dwelt, the
loveliest of all in Asgard. She was fairer
than fair, and sweeter than sweet, and the
tears from her flower-eyes made the dew
which blessed the earth-flowers night and
morning. Of her Thor borrowed the magic
dress of feathers in which Freia was wont

THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER 115

to clothe herself and flit like a great beau-
tiful bird all about the world. She was will-
ing enough to lend it to Thor when he told
her that by its aid he hoped to win back
the hammer which he had lost ; for she well
knew the danger threatening herself and all
the ^Esir until Miolnir should be found.

"Now will I fetch the hammer for you,"
said Loki. So he put on the falcon plum-
age, and, spreading his brown wings,
flapped away up, up, over the world, down,
down, across the great ocean which lies
beyond all things that men know. And he
came to the dark country where there was
no sunshine nor spring, but it was always
dreary winter ; where mountains were piled
up like blocks of ice, and where great cav-
erns yawned hungrily in blackness. And
this was Jotunheim, the land of the Frost
Giants.

And lo ! when Loki came thereto he
found Thrym the Giant King sitting out-
side his palace cave, playing with his dogs
and horses. The dogs were as big as ele-
phants, and the horses were as big as houses,
but Thrym himself was as huge as a moun-

ii6 THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER

tain ; and Loki trembled, but he tried to
seem brave.

"Good-day, Loki," said Thrym, with the
terrible voice of which he was so proud,
for he fancied it was as loud as Thor's.
"How fares it, feathered one, with your
little brothers, the ^sir, in Asgard halls ?
And how dare you venture alone in this
guise to Giant Land ? "

" It is an ill day in Asgard," sighed Loki,
keeping his eye warily upon the giant,
"and a stormy one in the world of men.
I heard the winds howling and the storms
rushing on the earth as I passed by. Some
mighty one has stolen the hammer of our
Thor. Is it you, Thrym, greatest of all
giants, — greater than Thor himself? "

This the crafty one said to flatter Thrym,
for Loki well knew the weakness of those
who love to be thought greater than they
are.

Then Thrym bridled and swelled with
pride, and tried to put on the majesty and
awe of noble Thor ; but he only succeeded
in becoming an ugly, puffy monster.

"Well, yes," he admitted. "I have the

THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER 117

hammer that belonged to your Uttle Thor;
and now how much of a lord is he '? "

" Alack ! " sighed Loki again, " weak
jnough he is without his magic weapon.
But you, O Thrym, — surely your mighti-
ness needs no such aid. Give me the ham-
mer, that Asgard may no longer be shaken
by Thor's grief for his precious toy."

But Thrym was not so easily to be flat-
tered into parting with his stolen treasure.
He grinned a dreadful grin, several yards
in width, which his teeth barred like jagged
boulders across the entrance to a mountain
cavern.

"Miolnir the hammer is mine," he said,
" and I am Thunder-Lord, mightiest of the
mighty. I have hidden it where Thor can
never find it, twelve leagues below the
sea-caves, where Queen Ran lives with her
daughters, the white-capped Waves. But
listen, Loki. Go tell the ^sir that I will
give back Thor's hammer. I will give it
back upon one condition, — that they send
Freia the beautiful to be my wife."

" Freia the beautiful ! " Loki had to stifle
a laugh. Fancy the ^sir giving their fair-

ii8 THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER

est flower to such an ugly fellow as this !
But he only said politely, "Ah, yes; you
demand our Freia in exchange for the little
hammer ? It is a costly price, great Thrym.
But I will be your friend in Asgard. If I
have my way, you shall soon see the fair-
est bride in all the world knocking at your
door. Farewell I "

So Loki whizzed back to Asgard on his
falcon wings; and as he went he chuckled
to think of the evils which were likely to
happen because of his words with Thrym.
First he gave the message to Thor, — not
sparing of Thrym's insolence, to make Thor
angry; and then he went to Freia with the
word for her, — not sparing of Thrym's
ugliness, to make her shudder. The spite-
ful fellow !

Now you can imagine the horror that was
in Asgard as the JEsir listened to Loki's
words. " My hammer I " roared Thor. " The
villain confesses that he has stolen my ham-
mer, and boasts that he is Thunder-Lord !
Gr-r-r ! "

" The ugly giant ! " wailed Freia. " Must
I be the bride of that hideous old monster.

THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER 119

and live in his gloomy mountain prison all
my life ? "

" Yes ; put on your bridal veil, sweet
Freia," said Loki maliciously, "and come
with me to Jotunheim. Hang your famous
starry necklace about your neck, and don
your bravest robe ; for in eight days there
will be a wedding, and Thor's hammer is
to pay."

Then Freia fell to weeping. "I cannot
go ! I will not go ! " she cried. " I will
not leave the home of gladness and Father
Odin's table to dwell in the land of horrors !
Thor's hammer is mighty, but mightier the
love of the kind ^sir for their little Freia !
Good Odin, dear brother Frey, speak for
me ! You will not make me go ? "

The iEsir looked at her and thought how
lonely and bare would Asgard be without
her loveliness ; for she was fairer than fair,
and sweeter than sweet.

" She shall not go ! " shouted Frey, put-
ting his arms about his sister's neck.

" No, she shall not go ! " cried all the
^sir with one voice.

"But my hammer," insisted Thor. "I
must have Miolnir back again."

I20 THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER

"And my word to Thrym," said Loki,
" that must be made good."

" You are too generous with your words,"
said Father Odin sternly, for he knew his
brother well. " Your word is not a gem oi
great price, for you have made it cheap."

Then spoke Heimdal, the sleepless watch-
man who sits on guard at the entrance to
the rainbow bridge which leads to Asgard;
and Heimdal was the wisest of the .^sir,
for he could see into the future, and knew
how things would come to pass. Through
his golden teeth he spoke, for his teeth were
all of gold.
l/^I have a plan," he said. "Let us dress
Thor himself like a bride in Freia's robes,
and send him to Jotunheim to talk with
Thrym and to win back his hammer."

But at this word Thor grew very angry.
" What ! dress me like a girl ! " he roared.
"I should never hear the last of it! The
^sir will mock me, and call me ' maiden ' !
The giants, and even the puny dwarfs,
will have a lasting jest upon me ! I will not
go I I will fight ! I will die, if. need be !
But dressed as a woman I will not go ! "

THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER 121

But Loki answered him with sharp words,
for this was a scheme after his own heart.
" What, Thor ! " he said. " Would you lose
your hammer and keep Asgard in danger
for so small a whim ? Look, now : if you
go not, Thrym with his giants will come
in a mighty army and drive us from As-
gard; then he will indeed make Freia his
bride, and moreover he will have you for
his slave under the power of his hammer.
How like you this picture, brother of the
thunder ? Nay, Heimdal's plan is a good
one, and I myself will help to carry it out."

Still Thor hesitated ; but Freia came and
laid her white hand on his arm, and looked
up into his scowling face pleadingly.

"To save me, Thor," she begged. And
Thor said he would go.

Then there was great sport among the
iEsir, while they dressed Thor like a beau-
tiful maiden. Brunhilde and her sisters, the
nine Valkyrie, daughters of Odin, had the
task in hand. How they laughed as they
brushed and curled his yellow hair, and set
upon it the wondrous headdress of silk and
pearls! They let out seams, and they let

£22 THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER

down hems, and set on extra pieces, to
make it larger, and so they hid his great
limbs and knotted arms under Freia's fair-
est robe of scarlet ; but beneath it all he
would wear his shirt of mail and his belt
of power that gave him double strength.
Freia herself twisted about his neck her
famous necklace of starry jewels, and Queen
Frigg, his mother, hung at his girdle a jin-
gling bunch of keys, such as was the custom
for the bride to wear at Norse weddings.
Last of all, that Thrym might not see
Thor's fierce eyes and the yellow beard,
that ill became a maiden, they threw over
him a long veil of silver white which cov-
ered him to the feet. And there he stood,
as stately and tall a bride as even a giant
might wish to see ; but on his hands he
wore his iron gloves, and they ached for
but one thing, — to grasp the handle of the
stolen hammer.

" Ah, what a lovely maid it is ! " chuckled
Loki ; " and how glad will Thrym be to see
this Freia come ! Bride Thor, I will go with
you as your handmaiden, for I would fain
see the fun."

"AH, WHAT A LOVELY MAID IT IS!"

THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER 123

"Come, then," said Thor sulkily, for he
was ill pleased, and wore his maiden robes
with no good grace. " It is fitting that you
go ; for I like not these lies and maskings,
and I may spoil the mummery without you
at my elbow."

There was loud laughter above the clouds
when Thor, all veiled and dainty seeming,
drove away from Asgard to his wedding,
with maid Loki by his side. Thor cracked
his whip and chirruped fiercely to his twin
goats with golden hoofs, for he wanted to
escape the sounds of mirth that echoed
from the rainbow bridge, where all the ^sir
stood watching. Loki, sitting with his hands
meekly folded like a girl, chuckled" as he
glanced up at Thor's angry face ; but he
said nothing, for he knew it was not good
to joke too far with Thor, even when Miol-
nir was hidden twelve leagues below the sea
in Ran's kingdom.

So off they dashed to Jotunheim, where
Thrym was waiting and longing for his
beautiful bride. Thor's goats thundered
along above the sea and land and people
far below, who looked up wondering as

124 THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER

the noise rolled overhead. " Hear how the
thunder rumbles ! " they said. " Thor is on
a long journey to-night." And a long jour-
ney it was, as the tired goats found before
they reached the end.

Thrym heard the sound of their approach,
for his ear was eager. " Hola ! " he cried.
" Some one is coming from Asgard, — only
one of Odin's children could make a din so
fearful. Hasten, men, and see if they are
bringing Freia to be my wife."

Then the lookout giant stepped down from
the top of his mountain, and said that a char-
iot was bringing two maidens to the door.

" Run, giants, run ! " shouted Thrym, in
a fever at this news. " My bride is coming !
Put silken cushions on the benches for a
great banquet, and make the house beau-
tiful for the fairest maid in all space ! Bring
in all my golden-horned cows and my coal-
black oxen, that she may see how rich I
am, and heap all my gold and jewels about
to dazzle her sweet eyes ! She shall find me
richest of the rich ; and when I have her, —
fairest of the fair, — there will be no treasure
that I lack, — not one I "

THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER 125

The chariot stopped at the gate, and out
stepped the tall bride, hidden from head to
foot, and her handmaiden muffled to the
chin. "How afraid of catching cold they
must be ! " whispere^i the giant ladies, who
were peering over one another's shoulders
to catch a glimpse of the bride, just as the
crowd outside the awning does at a wedding
nowadays.

Thrym had sent six splendid servants to
escort the maidens : these were the Metal
Kings, who served him as lord of them all.
There was the Gold King, all in cloth of
gold, with fringes of yellow bullion, most
glittering to see ; and there was the Silver
King, almost as gorgeous in a suit of span-
gled white ; and side by side bowed the
dark Kings of Iron and Lead, the one
mighty in black, the other sullen in blue ;
and after them were the Copper King,
gleaming ruddy and brave, and the Tin
King, strutting in his trimmings of gaudy
tinsel which looked nearly as well as silver
but were more economical. And this fine
troop of lackey kings most politely led
Thor alid Loki into the palace, and gave

126 THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER

them of the best, for they never suspected
who these seeming maidens really were.

And when evening came there was a
wonderful banquet to celebrate the wed-
ding. On a golden throne sat Thrym,
uglier than ever in his finery of purple
and gold. Beside him was the bride, of
whose face no one had yet caught even a
glimpse; and at Thrym's other hand stood
Loki, the waiting-maid, for he wanted to
be near to mend the mistakes which Thor
might make.

Now the dishes at the feast were served
in a huge way, as befitted the table of
giants : great beeves roasted whole, on plat-
ters as wide across as a ship's deck; plum-
puddings as fat as feather-beds, with plums
as big as footballs; and a wedding cake
like a snow-capped haymow. The giants
ate enormously. But to Thor, because they
thought him a dainty maiden, they served
small bits of everything on a tiny gold
dish. Now Thor's long journey had made
him very hungry, and through his veil he
whispered to Loki, " I shall starve, Loki !
I cannot fare on these nibbles. I must eat a

THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER 127

goodly meal as I do at home." And forth-
with he helped himself to such morsels as
might satisfy his hunger for a little time.
You should have seen the giants stare at
the meal which the dainty bride devoured !

For first under the silver veil disappeared
by pieces a whole roast ox. Then Thor
made eight mouthfuls of eight pink salmon,
a dish of which he was very fond. And next
he looked about and reached for a platter
of cakes and sweetmeats that was set aside
at one end of the table for the lady guests,
and the bride ate them all. You can fancy
how the damsels drew down their mouths
and looked at one another when they saw
their dessert disappear ; and they whispered
about the table, " Alack ! if our future mis-
tress is to sup like this day by day, there
will be poor cheer for the rest of us ! " And
to crown it all, Thor was thirsty, as well he
might be; and one after another he raised
to his lips and emptied three great barrels
of mead, the foamy drink of the giants.
Then indeed Thrym was amazed, for Thor's
giant appetite had beaten that of the giants
themselves.

128 THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER

"Never before saw I a bride so hungry,"
he cried, "and never before one half so
thirsty I "

But Loki, the waiting-maid, whispered
to him softly, " The truth is, great Thrym,
that my dear mistress was almost starved.
For eight days Freia has eaten nothing at
all, so eager was she for Jotunheim."

Then Thrym was delighted, you may be
sure. He forgave his hungry bride, and
loved her with all his heart. He leaned for-
ward to give her a kiss, raising a corner of
her veil ; but his hand dropped suddenly,
and he started up in terror, for he had caught
the angry flash of Thor's eye, which was
glaring at him through the bridal veil.
Thor was longing for his hammer.

" Why has Freia so sharp a look ? "
Thrym cried. " It pierces like lightning
and burns like fire."

But again the sly waiting-maid whispered
timidly, " Oh, Thrym, be not amazed ! The
truth is, my poor mistress's eyes are red with
wakefulness and bright with longing. For
eight nights Freia has not known a wink of
sleep, so eager was she for Jotunheim."

THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER 129

Then again Thrym was doubly delighted,
and he longed to call her his very own
dear wife. " Bring in the wedding gift I "
he cried. " Bring in Thor's hammer, Miol-
nir, and give it to Freia, as I promised; for
when I have kept my word she will be
mine, — all mine ! "

Then Thor's big heart laughed under his
woman's dress, and his fierce eyes swept
eagerly down the hall to meet the servant
who was bringing in the hammer on a vel-
vet cushion. Thor's fingers could hardly
wait to clutch the stubby handle which
they knew so well; but he sat quite still
on the throne beside ugly old Thrym, with
his hands meekly folded and his head bowed
like a bashful bride.

The giant servant drew nearer, nearer,
puffing and blowing, strong though he was,
beneath the mighty weight. He was about
to lay it at Thor's feet (for he thought it
so heavy that no maiden could lift it or
hold it in her lap), when suddenly Thor's
heart swelled, and he gave a most un-
maidenly shout of rage and triumph. With
one swoop he grasped the hammer in his

I30 THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER

iron fingers; with the other arm he tore off
the veil that hid his terrible face, and tram-
pled it under foot; then he turned to the
frightened king, who cowered beside him
on the throne.

" Thief ! " he cried. " Freia sends you
this as a wedding gift ! " And he whirled
the hammer about his head, then hurled it
once, twice, thrice, as it rebounded to his
hand; and in the first stroke, as of light-
ning, Thrym rolled dead from his throne ;
in the second stroke perished the whole
giant household, — these ugly enemies of
the yEsir ; and in the third stroke the pal-
ace itself tumbled together and fell to the
ground like a toppling play-house of blocks.

But Loki and Thor stood safely among
the ruins, dressed in their tattered maiden
robes, a quaint and curious sight ; and
Loki, full of mischief now as ever, burst
out laughing.

" Oh, Thor ! if you could see " — he be-
gan ; but Thor held up his hammer and
shook it gently as he said, —

" Look now, Loki : it was an excellent
joke, and so far you have done well, —

THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER 131

after your crafty fashion, which likes me
not. But now I have my hammer again,
and the joke is done. From you, nor from
another, I brook no laughter at my expense.
Henceforth we will have no mention of
this masquerade, nor of these rags which
now I throw away. Do you hear, red
laugher ? "

And Loki heard, with a look of hate, and
stifled his laughter as best he could ; for it is
not good to laugh at him who holds the
hammer.

Not once after that was there mention
in Asgard of the time when Thor dressed
him as a girl and won his bridal gift from
Thrym the giant.

But Miolnir was safe once more in As-
gard, and you and I know how it came
there ; so some one must have told. I won-
der if red Loki whispered the tale to some
outsider, after all? Perhaps it may be so,
for now he knew how best to make Thor
angry ; and from that day when Thor for-
bade his laughing, Loki hated him with the
mean little hatred of a mean little soul.

THE GIANTESS WHO
WOULD NOT t t t t

OF all the ^Esir who sat in the twelve
seats about Father Odin's wonder-
throne none was so dear to the peo-
ple of Midgard, the world of men, as Frey.
For Frey, the twin brother of Freia the fair,
was the god who sent sunshine and rain upon
the earth that men's crops might grow and
ripen, and the fruits become sweet and mel-
low. He gave men cattle, and showed them
how to till the fields; and it was he who
spread peace and prosperity over the world.
For he was lord of the Light-Elves, the spirits
of the upper air, who were more beautiful than
the sun. And these were his servants whom
he sent to answer the prayers of the men
who loved him. Frey was more beautiful, too,
than any of the JEsir except young Balder.
This was another reason why he was so be-
loved by all. But there came a time when
Frey found some one who would not love
him ; and that was a new experience for him,
a punishment for the only wrong he ever
committed.

GIANTESS WHO WOULD NOT 133

You remember that Father Odin had a
wonderful throne in the silver-roofed house,
a throne whence he could see everything that
was happening in all the world? Well, no
one was allowed to sit upon this throne ex-
cept All-Father himself, for he would not
have the others spying into affairs which
only the King of Asgard was wise enough to
understand. But one day, when Odin was
away from home, Frey had such a longing
to climb up where he might gaze upon all
the world which he loved, that he could not
resist the temptation. He stole up to the
great throne when no one was looking, and
mounting the steps, seated himself upon All-
Father's wonder-seat.

Oh, marvelous, grand, and beautiful! He
looked off into the heavens, and there he saw
all the iEsir busy about their daily work.
He looked above, into the shining realm of
clear air. And there he saw his messengers,
the pretty little Light-Elves, flying about
upon their errands of help' for men. Some
were carrying seeds for the farmers to plant.
Some were watering the fields with their
little water-pots, making the summer showers.

134 GIANTESS WHO WOULD NOT

Some were pinching the cheeks of the apples
to make them red, and others were reeUng
silk for the corn-tassels. Then Frey looked
down upon the earth, where men were scur-
rying around hke little ants, improving the
blessings which his servants were sending,
and often stopping their work to give thanks
to their beloved Frey. And this made his
kind heart glad.

Next he turned his gaze down into the
depths of the blue ocean which flowed about
Midgard like a great river. And down in
the sea-caves he saw the mermaids playing.
Queen Ran and her daughters the white-
capped Waves, with their nets ready to catch
the sailors who might be drowned at sea.
And he saw King CEgir, among the whales
and dolphins, with all the myriad wondrous
creatures who lived in his watery empire.
But Frey's father, old Niord, lord of the
ocean wind, would have been more interested
than he in such a sight.

Last of all Frey bent his eyes upon the far,
cold land of Jotunheim, beyond the ocean,
where the giants lived ; and as he did so, a
beam of brightness dazzled him. He rubbed

GIANTESS WHO WOULD NOT 135

his eyes and looked again; and lo! the
flash was from the bright arms of a beauti-
ful maiden, who was passing from her father's
hall to her own little bower. When she
raised her arms to open the door, the air
and water reflected their brightness so that
the whole world was flooded with light, and
one shaft shot straight into the heart of Frey,
making him love her and long for her more
than for anything he had ever seen. But be-
cause he knew that she must be a giant's
daughter, how could he win her for his bride ?
Frey descended from Odin's throne very
sadly, very hopelessly, and went home with
a heavy heart which would let him neither
eat nor sleep. This was the penalty which
came for his disobedience in presuming to sit
upon Odin's sacred throne.

For hours no one dared speak to Frey, he
looked so gloomy and forbidding, quite un-
like his own gay self Niord his father was
greatly worried, and knew not what to do; at
last he sent for Skirnir, who was Frey's favorite
servant, and bade him find out what was the
matter. Skirnir therefore went to his master,
whom he found sitting all alone in his great

136 GIANTESS WHO WOULD NOT

hall, looking as if there were no more joy for
him.

" What ails you, master ? " asked Skirnir.
" From the beginning of time when we were
very young we two have lived together, and
I have served you with loving care. You
ought, then, to have confidence in me and
tell me all your troubles."

" Ah, Skirnir, my faithful friend," sighed
Frey, " how shall I tell you my sorrow ? The
sun shines every day, but no longer brings
light to my sad heart. And all because I saw
more than was good for me ! "

So then he told Skirnir all the matter:
how he had stolen into Odin's seat, and what
he had seen from there; how he loved a
giant's daughter whose arms were more bright
than silver moonbeams.

" Oh, Skirnir, I love her very dearly," he
cried ; " but because our races are enemies she
would never marry me, I know, even if her
father would allow it. Therefore is it that I
am so sad."

But Skirnir did not seem to think the case
so hopeless. " Give me but your swift horse,"
he said, " which can bear me even through

GIANTESS WHO WOULD NOT 137

flames of fire and thick smoke ; give me also
your magic wand and your sword, which,
if he be brave who carries it, will smite by
itself any giant who comes in its way, —
and I will see what I can do for you."

Then Skirnir rode forth upon his dangerous
errand ; for a visit to Giant Land was ever a
perilous undertaking, as you may well ima-
gine. As Skirnir rode, he patted his good
horse's neck and said to him, " Dark it is,
friend, and we have to go over frosty moun-
tains and among frosty people this night.
Bear me well, good horse ; for if you fail me
the giants will catch us both, and neither of
us will return to bring the news to our master
Frey."

After a long night of hard riding over
mountain and desolate snowfield, Skirnir
came to that part of Jotunheim where the
giant Gymir dwelt. This was the father of
Gerd, the maiden whom Frey had seen and
loved. But first he had to ride through a
hedge of flame, which the horse passed
bravely. Now when he came to the house of
Gymir, he found a pack of fierce dogs chained
about the door to keep strangers away.

138 GIANTESS WHO WOULD NOT

" H'm ! " thought Skirnir, " I like this little
indeed. I must find out whether there be not
some other entrance." So he looked around,
and soon he saw a herdsman sitting on a
little hill, tending his cattle. Skirnir rode up
to him.

"Ho, friend," he cried. "Tell me, how
am I to pass these growling curs so that I
may speak with the young maiden who
dwells in this house ? "

" Are you mad, or are you a spirit who is
not afraid of death!" exclaimed the herds-
man. " Know you not that you can never
enter there ? That is Gymir's dwelling, and
he lets no one speak with his fair and good
daughter."

" If I choose to die, you need not weep for
me," quoth Skirnir boldly. " But I do not
think that I am yet to die. The Norn-
maidens spun my fate centuries ago, and they
only can tell what is to be." Now Skirnir's
voice was loud and the hoof-beats of his
horse were mighty. For this was one of the
magic steeds of Asgard, used to bearing Frey
himself on his broad back. And not without
much noise had all these things been said and

GIANTESS WHO WOULD NOT 139

done. From her room in Gymir's mansion
Gerd heard the stranger's voice, and to her
waiting-maid she said, " What are these
sounds that I hear "? The earth is trembling
and all the house shakes."

Then the servant ran to look out of the
window, and in a minute she popped in her
head, crying, " Here is a mighty stranger
who has dismounted from his horse and leads
him by the bridle to crop the grass."

Gerd was curious to see who this stranger
might be ; for her father kept her close and
she saw few visitors.

" Bid him enter our hall," she said, " and
give him a horn of bright mead to drink.
I will see him, though I fear it is the slayer
of my brother." For Gerd was the sister
of Thiasse whom Thor slew.

So Skirnir came into the hall, and Gerd
received him coldly. " Who are you ? " she
asked. " Which of the wise ^sir are ypu ?
For I know that only one of the mighty ones
from Asgard would have the courage and
the power to pass through the raging flames
that surround my father's land."

" I come from Frey, O maiden," said Skir-

I4P GIANTESS WHO WOULD NOT

nir, " from Frey, whom all folk love. I come
to beg that you also will love him and con-
sent to be his wife. For Frey has seen your
beauty, and you are very dear to him."

Gerd laughed carelessly. " I have heard
of your fair Frey," she said, " and how he is
more dear to all than sunshine and the sweet
smell of flowers. But he is not dear to me. I
do not wish the love of Frey, nor any of that
race of giant-killers. Tell him that I will not
be his bride."

" Stay, be not so hasty," urged Skirnir.
" We have more words to exchange before I
start for home. Look, I will give you eleven
golden apples from Asgard's magic tree if
you will go with me to Frey's dwelling."

Gerd would hear nothing of the golden
apples. Then Skirnir promised her the
golden ring, Draupnir, which the dwarfs had
made for Odin, out of which every ninth
night dropped eight other rings as large and
bright. But neither would Gerd listen to
word of this generous gift. " I have gold
enough in my father's house," she said dis-
dainfully. "With such trifles you cannot
tempt me to marry your Frey."

GIANTESS WHO WOULD NOT 141

Then Skirnir was very angry, and he began
to storm and threaten. " I will strike you
with the bright sword which I hold in my
hand I " he cried. " It is Frey's magic sword,
under which even that stout old giant your
father must sink if he comes within its reach."
But again Gerd laughed, though with less
mirth in her laughter. " I will tame you with
Frey's magic wand!" he threatened, "the
wand with which he rules the Light-Elves,
and changes folk into strange shapes. You
shall vanish from the sight of men, and pass
your life on the eagle's mount far above the
sky, where you shall sit all day, too sad to
eat. And when you come thence, after count-
less ages, you will be a hideous monster at
which all creatures will stare in mockery and
scorn."

These were dreadful words, and Gerd no
longer laughed when she heard them. But
she was obstinate. "I do not love Frey,"
she said, " and I will not be his bride."

Then Skirnir was angry indeed, and his
fury blazed out in threats most horrible. " If
you will not marry my dear master," he cried,
"you shall be the most unhappy girl that

142 GIANTESS WHO WOULD NOT

ever lived. You shall cry all day long and
never see joy again. You shall marry a
hideous old three-headed giant, and from day
to day you shall ever be in terror of some
still more dreadful fate to come ! "

Now Gerd began to tremble, for she
saw that Frey's servant meant every word
that he spoke. But she was not ready to
yield. "Go back to the land of Elves," she
taunted ; " I will not be their Queen at any
cost."

Now Skirnir grasped the magic wand, and
waving it over her, spoke his last words of
threat and anger. " The gods are angry with
you, evil maiden ! " he cried. " Odin sees
your obstinacy from his throne, and will
punish you for your cruelty to kind Frey.
Frey himself, instead of loving, will shun you
when the gods arm themselves to destroy
you and all your race. Listen, Giants, Dwarfs,
Light-Elves, Men, and all friends of the^sir!
I forbid any one to have aught to do with
this wicked girl, — only the old giant who
shall carry her to his gloomy castle, barred
and bolted and grated across. Misery, pain,
and madness — this, Gerd, is the fate which

GIANTESS WHO WOULD NOT 143

I wave over you with my wand, unless
speedily you repent and do my will."

Poor Gerd gasped and trembled under this
dreadful doom. Her willfulness was quite
broken, and now she sought only to make
Skirnir unsay the words of horror. "Hold I"
she cried ; " be welcome, youth, in the name
of your powerful master, Frey. I cannot af-
ford to be enemy of such as he. Drink this
icy cup of welcome filled with the giant's
mead, and take with it my consent to be the
bride of Frey. But alas ! I never thought to
be a friend to one of Asgard's race."

" You shall never repent, fair Gerd," said
Skirnir gently. For now that he had won
his will, he was all smiles and friendliness.
"And when you see my dear master, you
will be glad indeed that you did not insist
upon wedding the old three-headed giant.
For Frey is fair, — ay, as fair as are you
yourself. And that is saying much, sweet
lady."

So Gerd promised that in nine days she
would come to be the bride of Frey. And
the more she thought it over, the less unplea*
sant seemed the idea. So that before the time

144 GIANTESS WHO WOULD NOT

was passed, she was almost as eager as Frey
for their happy meeting; not quite so eager,
for you must remember that she had not yet
seen him and knew not all his glory, while
he knew what it was to long and long for
what he had once seen.

Indeed, when Skirnir galloped back to
Frey as fast as the good horse could take him,
still Frey chided him for being slow. And
when the faithful fellow told the good news
of the bride who was to be his master's in
nine short days, still Frey frowned and grum-
bled impatiently.

" How can I wait to see her ? " he cried.
" One day is long; two days are a century;
nine days seem forever. Oh, Skirnir, could
you not have done better than that for your
dear-master?"

But Skirnir forgave Frey for his impa-
tience, for he knew that thenceforward his
master would love all the better him who
had done so nobly to win the beloved bride.

When Gerd married Frey and went with
him to live in Elf Land, where he and she
were king and queen, they were the hap-
piest folk that the world ever saw. And

GIANTESS WHO WOULD NOT 145

Gerd was as grateful to Skimir as Frey him-
self. For she could not help thinking of that
dreadful old three-headed giant whom but
for him she might have married, instead of
her beautiful, kind Frey.

So you see that sometimes one is happier
in the end if she is not allowed to have her
own way.

THOR'S VISIT TO THE
GIANTS t t t t t t t

NOWADAYS, since their journey
to get the stolen hammer, Thor
and Loki were good friends, for
Loki seemed to have turned over a new
leaf and to be a very decent sort of fel-
low ; but really he was the same sly rascal
at heart, only biding his time for mischief
However, in this tale he behaves well
enough.

It was a long time since Thor had slain
any giants, and he was growing restless for
an adventure. "Come, Loki," he said one
day, "let us fare forth to Giant Land and
see what news there is among the Big
Folk."

Loki laughed, saying, "Let us go, Thor.
I know I am safe with you ; " which was
a piece of flattery that happened to be
true.

So they mounted the goat chariot as
they had done so many times before and
rumbled away out of Asgard. All day they
rode ; and when evening came they stopped

THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS 147

at a little house on the edge of a forest,
where lived a poor peasant with his wife,
his son, and daughter.

" May we rest here for the night, friend "? "
asked Thor; and noting their poverty, he
added, "We bring our own supper, and
ask but a bed to sleep in." So the peasant
was glad to have them stay. Then Thor,
who knew what he was about, killed and
cooked his two goats, and invited the fam-
ily of peasants to sup with him and Loki ;
but when the meal was ended, he bade them
carefully save all the bones and throw them
into the goatskins which he had laid be-
side the hearth. Then Thor and Loki lay
down to sleep.

In the morning, very early, before the
rest were awake, Thor rose, and taking his
hammer, Miolnir, went into the kitchen,
where were the remains of his faithful goats.
Now the. magic hammer was skillful, not
only to slay, but to restore, when Thor's
hand wielded it. He touched with it the
two heaps of skin and bones, and lo I up
sprang the goats, alive and well, and as
good as new. No, not quite as good as

148 THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS

new. What was this ? Thor roared with
anger, for one of the goats was lame in one
of his legs, and limped sorely. " Some one
has meddled with the bones ! " he cried.
" Who has touched the bones that I bade
be kept so carefully ? "

Thialfi, the peasant's son, had broken one
of the thigh-bones in order to get at the
sweet marrow, and this Thor soon discov-
ered by the lad's guilty face ; then Thor was
angry indeed. His knuckles grew white as
he clenched the handle of Miolnir, ready
to hurl it and destroy the whole unlucky
house and family; but the peasant and the
other three fell upon their knees, trembling
with fear, and begged him to spare them.
They offered him all that they owned, —
they offered even to become his slaves, —
if he would but spare their wretched lives.

They looked so miserable that Thor was
sorry for them, and resolved at last to pun-
ish them only by taking away Thialfi, the
son, and Roskva, the daughter, thenceforth
to be his servants. And this was not so bad
a bargain for Thor, for Thialfi was the swift-
est of foot of any man in the whole world.

THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS 149

So he left the goats behind, and fared
forth with his three attendants straight to-
wards the east and Jotunheim. Thialfi car-
ried Thor's wallet with their scanty store
of food. They crossed the sea and came at
last to a great forest, through which they
tramped all day, until once more it was
night ; and now they must find a place in
which all could sleep safely until morning.
They wandered about here and there, look-
ing for some sign of a dwelling, and at
last they came to a big, queer-shaped house.
Very queer indeed it was ; for the door at
one end was as broad as the house itself!
They entered, and lay down to sleep ; but
at midnight Thor was wakened by a terri-
ble noise. The ground shook under them
like an earthquake, and the house trembled
as if it would fall to pieces. Thor arose
and called to his companions that there was
danger about, and that they must be on
guard. Groping in the dark, they found a
long, narrow chamber on the right, where
Loki and the two peasants hid trembling,
while Thor guarded the doorway, hammer
in hand. All night long the terrible noises

I50 THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS

continued, and Thor's attendants were fright-
ened almost to death ; but early in the morn-
ing Thor stole forth to find out what it all
meant. And lo ! close at hand in the for-
est lay an enormous giant, sound asleep
and snoring loudly. Then Thor understood
whence all their night's terror had pro-
ceeded, for the giant was so huge that his
snoring shook even the trees of the forest,
and made the mountains tremble. So much
the better ! Here at last was a giant for
Thor to tackle. He buckled his belt of
power more tightly to increase his strength,
and laid hold of Miolnirto hurl it at the
giant's forehead ; but just at that moment
the giant waked, rose slowly to his feet, and
stood staring mildly at Thor. He did not
seem a fierce giant, so Thor did not kill
him at once. " Who are you ? " asked Thor
sturdily.

"I am the giant Skrymir, little fellow,"
answered the stranger, "and well I know
who you are, Thor of Asgard. But what
have you been doing with my glove ? "

Then the giant stooped and picked up —
what do you think? — the queer house in

THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS 151

which Thor and his three companions had
spent the night ! Loki and the two others
had run out of their chamber in affright
when they felt it hfted ; and their chamber
was the thumb of the giant's glove. That
was a giant indeed, and Thor felt sure that
they must be well upon their way to Giant
Land.

When Skrymir learned where they were
going, he asked if he might not wend with
them, and Thor said that he was willing.
Now Skrymir untied his wallet and sat
down under a tree to eat his breakfast, while
Thor and his party chose another place, not
far away, for their picnic. When all had
finished, the giant said, "Let us put our
provisions together in one bag, my friends,
and I will carry it for you." This seemed
fair enough, for Thor had so little food left
that he was not afraid to risk losing it; so
he agreed, and Skrymir tied all the pro-
visions in his bag and strode on before them
with enormous strides, so fast that even Thi-
alfi could scarcely keep up with him.

The day passed, and late in the evening
Skrymir halted under a great oak-tree, say-

152 THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS

ing, "Let us rest here. I must have a nap,
and you must have your dinner. Here is
the wallet, — open it and help yourselves."
Then he lay down on the moss, and was
soon snoring lustily.

Thor tried to open the wallet, in vain;
he could not loosen a single knot of the
huge thongs that fastened it. He strained
and tugged, growing angrier and redder
after every useless attempt. This was too
much; the giant was making him appear
absurd before his servants. He seized his
hammer, and bracing his feet with all his
might, struck Skrymir a blow on his head.
Skrymir stirred lazily, yawned, opened one
eye, and asked whether a leaf had fallen on
his forehead, and whether his companions
had dined yet. Thor bit his lip with vex-
ation, but he answered that they were ready
for bed ; so he and his three followers retired
to rest under another oak.

But Thor did not sleep that night. He
lay thinking how he had been put to shame,
and how Loki had snickered at the sight of
Thor's vain struggles with the giant's wal-
let, and he resolved that it should not hap-

THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS 153

pen again. At about midnight, once more he
heard the giant's snore resounding like thun-
der through the forest. Thor arose, clench-
ing Miolnir tight, and stole over to the tree
where Skrymir slept; then with all his might
he hurled the hammer and struck the giant
on the crown of his head, so hard that the
hammer sank deep into his skull. At this
the giant awoke with a start, exclaiming,
"What is that? Did an acorn fall on my
head ? What are you doing there, Thor ? "

Thor stepped back quickly, answering
that he had waked up, but that it was only
midnight, so they might all sleep some
hours longer. "If I can only give him one
more blow before morning," he thought,
"he will never see daylight again." So he
lay watching until Skrymir had fallen asleep
once more, which was near daybreak; then
Thor arose as before, and going very softly
to the giant's side, smote him on the tem-
ple so sore that the hammer sank into his
skull up to the very handle. "Surely, he
is killed now," thought Thor.

But ' Skrymir only raised himself on his
elbow, stroked his chin, and said, " There

154 THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS

are birds above me in the tree. Methinks
that just now a feather fell upon my head.
What, Thor ! are you awake ? I am afraid
you slept but poorly this night. Come, now,
it is high time to rise and make ready for
the day. You are not far from our giant
city, — Utgard we call it. Aha ! I have
heard you whispering together. You think
that I am big ; but you will see fellows
taller still when you come to Utgard. And
now I have a piece of advice to give you.
Do not pride yourselves overmuch upon
your importance. The followers of Utgard's
king think little of such manikins as you,
and will not bear any nonsense, I assure
you. Be advised ; return homeward before
it is too late. If you will go on, however,
your way lies there to the eastward. Yon-
der is my path, over the mountains to the
north."

So saying, Skrymir hoisted his wallet
upon his shoulders, and turning back upon
the path that led into the forest, left them
staring after him and hoping that they
might never see his big bulk again:

Thor and his companions journeyed on

THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS 155

until noon, when they saw in the distance
a great city, on a lofty plain. As they came
nearer, they found the buildings so high that
the travelers had to bend back their necks
in order to see the tops. " This must be
Utgard, the giant city," said Thor. And
Utgard indeed it was. At the entrance was
a great barred gate, locked so that no one
might enter. It was useless to try to force
a passage in ; even Thor's great strength
could not move it on its hinges. But it was
a giant gate, and the bars were made to
keep out other giants, with no thought of
folk so small as these who now were bent
upon finding entrance by one way or an-
other. It was not dignified, and noble Thor
disliked the idea. Yet it was their only way ;
so one by one they squeezed and wriggled
between the bars, until they stood in a row
inside. In front of them was a wonderful
great hall with the door wide open. Thor
and the three entered, and found themselves
in the midst of a company of giants, the
very hugest of their kind. At the end of
the hall sat the king upon an enormous
throne. Thor, who had been in giant com-

156 THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS

panics ere now, went straight up to the
throne and greeted the king with civil
words. But the giant merely glanced at
him with a disagreeable smile, and said, —

" It is wearying to ask travelers about
their journey. Such little fellows as you
four can scarcely have had any adventures
worth nlentioning. Stay, now I Do I guess
aright ? Is this manikin Thor of Asgard,
or no ? Ah, no ! I have heard of Thor's
might. You cannot really be he, unless you
are taller than you seem, and stronger too.
Let us see what feats you and your com-
panions can perform to amuse us. No one
is allowed here who cannot excel others in
some way or another. What can you do
best?"

At this word, Loki, who had entered last,
spoke up readily : " There is one thing that
I can do, — I can eat faster than any man."
For Loki was famished with hunger, and
thought he saw a way to win a good meal.

Then the king answered, " Truly, that
is a noble accomplishment of yours, if you
can prove your words true. Let us make
the test." So he called forth from among his

THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS 157

men Logi, — whose name means " fire," —
and bade him match his powers with the
stranger.

Now a trough full of meat was set upon
the floor, with Loki at one end of it and
the giant Logi at the other. Each began to
gobble the meat as fast as he could, and it
was not a pretty sight to see them. Mid-
way in the trough they met, and at first it
would seem as if neither had beaten the
other. Loki had indeed done wondrous well
in eating the meat from the bones so fast;
but Logi, the giant, had in the same time
eaten not only meat but bones also, and had
swallowed his half of the trough into the
bargain. Loki was vanquished at his own
game, and retired looking much ashamed
and disgusted.

The king then pointed at Thialfi, and
asked what that young man could best do.
Thialfi answered that of all men he was the
swiftest runner, and that he was not afraid
to race with any one whom the king might
select.

"That is a goodly craft," g^aid the king,
smiling; "but you must be a swift runner

158 THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS

indeed if you can win a race from my
Hugi. Let us go to the racing-ground."

They followed him out to the plain
where Hugi, whose name means "thought,"
was ready to race with young Thialfi. In
the first run Hugi came in so far ahead that
when he reached the goal he turned about
and went back to meet Thialfi. " You must
do better than that, Thialfi, if you hope to
win," said the king, laughing, "though I
must allow that no one ever before came
here who could run so fast as you."

They ran a second race ; and this time
when Hugi reached the goal there was a
long bow-shot between him and Thialfi.

"You are truly a good runner," ex-
claimed the king. "I doubt not that no
man can race like you ; but you cannot
win from my giant lad, I think. The last
time shall show." Then they ran for the
third time, and Thialfi put forth all his
strength, speeding like the wind : but all
his skill was in vain. Hardly had he reached
the middle of the course when he heard the
shouts of the giants announcing that Hugi
had won the goal. Thialfi, too, was beaten

THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS 159

at his own game, and he withdrew, as Loki
hajj'done, shamefaced and sulky,
/l/ There remained now only Thor to redeem
the honor of his party, for Roskva the maiden
was useless here. Thor had watched the re-
sult of these trials with surprise and anger,
though he knew it was no fault of Loki or
of Thialfi that they had been worsted by the
giants. And Thor was resolved to better
even his own former great deeds. The king
called to Thor, and asked him what he
thought he could best do to prove himself
as mighty as the stories told of him. Thor
answered that he would undertake to drink
more mead than any one of the king's men.
At this proposal the king laughed aloud, as
if it were a giant joke. He summoned his
cup-bearer to fetch his horn of punishment,
out of which the giants were wont to drink
in turn. And when they returned to the hall,
the great vessel was brought to the king.

" When any one empties this horn at one
draught, we call him a famous drinker," said
the king. "Some of my men empty it in
two trials; but no one is so poor a mani-
kin that he cannot empty it in three. Take

i6o THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS

the horn, Thor, and see what you can do
with it."

Now Thor was very thirsty, so he seized
the horn eagerly. It did not seem to him
so very large, for he had drunk from other
mighty vessels ere now. But indeed, it was
deep. He raised it to his lips and took a
long pull, saying to himself, "There! I have
emptied it already, I know." Yet when he
set the horn down to see how well he had
done, he found that he seemed scarcely to
have drained a drop ; the horn was brimming
as before. The king chuckled.

"Well, you have drunk but little," he said.
" I would never have believed that famous
Thor would lower the horn so soon. But
doubtless you will finish all at a second
draught."

Instead of answering, Thor raised the horn
once more to his lips, resolved to do better
than before. But for some reason the tip of
the horn seemed hard to raise, and when he
set the vessel down again his heart sank, for
he feared that he had drunk even less than at
his first trial. Yet he had really done better,
for now it was easy to carry the horn with-

THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS i6i

Dut spilling. The king smiled grimly. "How
now, Thor ! " he cried. " You have left too
much for your third trial. I fear you will
never be able to empty the little horn in
three draughts, as the least of my men can do.
Ho, ho! You will not be thought so great
a hero here as the folk deem you in Asgard,
if you cannot play some other game more
skillfully than you do this one."

At this speech Thor grew very angry.
He raised the horn to his mouth and drank
lustily, as long as he was able. But when he
looked into the horn, he found that some
drops still remained. He had not been able
to empty it in three draughts. Angrily he
flung down the horn, and said that he would
have no more of it.

"Ah, Master Thor," taunted the king,
" it is now plain that you are not so mighty
as we thought you. Are you inclined to try
some other feats ? For indeed, you are easily
beaten at this one."

" I will try whatever you like," said Thor;
"but your hqrn is a wondrous one, and
among the ^sir such a draught as mine
would be called far from little. Come, now.

1 62 THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS

— what game do you next propose, O
King?"

The king thought a moment, then an-
swered carelessly, " There is a little game
with which my youngsters amuse themselves,
though it is so simple as to be almost childish.
It is merely the exercise of lifting my cat
from the ground. I should never have dared
suggest such a feat as this to you, Thor of
Asgard, had I not seen that great tasks are
beyond your skill. It may be that you will
find this hard enough." So he spoke, smiling
slyly, and at that moment there came stalk-
ing into the hall a monstrous gray cat, with
eyes of yellow fire.

"Hoi Is this the creature I am to 116:"?"
queried Thor. And when they said that it
was, he seized the cat around its gray, huge
body and tugged with all his might to lift it
from the floor. Then the wretched cat, length-
ening and lengthening, arched its back like
the span of a bridge ; and though Thor tugged
and heaved his best, he could manage to lift
but one of its huge feet ofF^the floor. The
other three remained as firmly planted as iron
pillars.

THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS 163

" Oho, oho I " laughed the king, deh'ghted
at this sight. " It is just as I thought it would
be. Poor little Thor ! My cat is too big for
him."

" Little I may seem in this land of mon-
sters," cried Thor wrathfuUy, " but now let
him who dares come hither and try a hug
with me."

" Nay, little Thor," said the king, seeking
to make him yet more angry, " there is not
one of my men who would wrestle with you.
Why, they would call it child's play, my
little fellow. But, for the joke of it, call in
my old foster-mother, EUi. She has wrestled
with and worsted many a man who seemed
no weaker than you, O Thor. She shall try
a fall with you."

Now in came the old crone, EUi, whose
very name meant " age." She was wrinkled
and gray, and her back was bent nearly
double with the weight of the years which
she carried, but she chuckled when she saw
Thor standing witli bared arm in the middle
of the floor. " Come and be thrown, dearie,"
she cried in her cracked voice, grinning
horribly.

1 64 THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS

" I will not wrestle with a woman ! " ex-
claimed Thor, eyeing her with pity and dis-
gust, for she was an ugly creature to behold.
But the old woman taunted him to his face
and the giants clapped their hands, howling
that he was " afraid." So there was no way
but that Thor must grapple with the hag.

The game began. Thor rushed at the old
woman and gripped her tightly in his iron
arms, thinking that as soon as she screamed
with the pain of his mighty hug, he would
give over. But the crone seemed not to mind
it at all. Indeed, the more he crushed her
old ribs together the firmer and stronger she
stood. Now in her turn the witch attempted
to trip up Thor's heels, and it was wonderful
to see her power and agility. Thor soon
began to totter, great Thor, in the hands of
a poor old woman ! He struggled hard, he
braced himself, he turned and twisted. It was
no use ; the old woman's arms were as strong
as knotted oak. In a few moments Thor
sank upon one knee, and that was a sign that
he was beaten. The king signaled for them
to stop. " You need wrestle no more, Thor,"
he said, with a curl to his lip, " we see what

THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS 165

sort of fellow you are. I thought that old
EUi would have no difficulty in bringing to
his knees him who could not lift my cat. But
come, now, night is almost here. We will
think, no more of contests. You and your
companions shall sup with us as welcome
guests and bide here till the morrow."

Now as soon as the king had pleased
himself in proving how small and weak were
these strangers who had come to the giant
city, he became very gracious and kind. But
you can fency whether or no Thor and the
others had a good appetite for the banquet
where all the giants ate so merrily. You can
fancy whether or no they were happy when
they went to bed after the day of defeats, and
you can guess what sweet dreams they had.

The next morning at daybreak the four
guests arose and made ready to steal back to
Asgard without attracting any more attention.
For this adventure alone of all those in which
Thor had taken part had been a disgraceful
failure. Silently and with bowed heads they
were slipping away from the hall when the
king himself came to them and begged them
to stay.

1 66 THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS

" You shall not leave Utgard without
breakfast," he said kindly, " nor would I have
you depart feeling unfriendly to me."

Then he ordered a goodly breakfast for the
travelers, with store of choicest dainties for
them to eat and drink. When the four had
broken fast, he escorted them to the city gate
where they were to say farewell. But at the
last moment he turned to Thor with a sly,
strange smile and asked, —

" Tell me now truly, brother Thor ; what
think you of your visit to the giant city ?
Do you feel as mighty a fellow as you did
before you entered our gates, or are you sat-
isfied that there are folk even sturdier than
yourself? "

At this question Thor flushed scarlet, and
the lightning flashed angrily in his eye. Briefly
enough he answered that he must confess to
small pride in his last adventure, for that his
visit to the king had been full of shame to
the hero of Asgard. " My name will become
a joke among your people," quoth he. " You
will call me Thor the puny little fellow,
which vexes me more than anything; for I
have not been wont to blush at my name."

THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS 167

Then the king looked at him frankly,
pleased with the humble manner of Thor's
speech. "Nay," he said slowly, "hang not
your head so shamedly, brave Thor. You
have not done so ill as you think. Listen, I
have somewhat to tell you, now that you are
outside Utgard, — which, if I Uve, you shall
never enter again. Indeed, you should not
have entered at all had I guessed what noble
strength was really yours, — strength which
very nearly brought me and my whole city
to destruction."

To these words Thor and his companions
listened with open-mouthed astonishment.
What could the king mean, they wondered ?
The giant continued : —

" By magic alone were you beaten, Thor.
Of magic alone were my triumphs, — not
real, but seeming to be so. Do you remem-
ber the giant Skrymir whom you found
sleeping and snoring in the forest? That
was I. I learned your errand and resolved to
lower your pride. When you vainly strove
to untie my wallet, you did not know that I
had fastened it with invisible iron wire, in
order that you might be baffled by the knots.

1 68 THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS

Thrice you struck me with your hammer,
— ah ! what mighty blows were those ! The
least one would have killed me, had it fallen
on my head as you deemed it did. In my
hall is a rock with three square hollows in
it, one of them deeper than the others.
These are the dents of your wondrous ham-
mer, my Thor. For, while you thought I
slept, I slipped the rock under the hammer-
strokes, and into this hard crust Miolnir bit.
Ha, ha ! It was a pretty jest."

Now Thor's brow was growing black at
this tale of the giant's trickery, but at the
same time he held up his head and seemed
less ashamed of his weakness, knowing now
that it had been no weakness, but lack of
guile. He listened frowningly for the rest
of the tale. The king went on : —

" When you came to my city, still it was
magic that worsted your party at every turn.
Loki was certainly the hungriest fellow I
ever saw, and his deeds at the trencher were
marvelous to behold. But the Logi who ate
with him was Fire, and easily enough fire can
consume your meat, bones, and wood itself
Thialfi, my boy, you are a runner swift as

THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS 169

the wind. Never before saw I such a race
as yours. But the Hugi who ran with you
was Thought, my thought. And who can
keep pace with the speed of winged thought?
Next, Thor, it was your turn to show yoiir
might. Bravely indeed you strove. My heart
is sick with envy of your strength and skill.
But they availed you naught against ray
magic. When you drank from the long horn,
thinking you had done so ill, in truth you
had performed a miracle, — never thought I
to behold the like. You guessed not that the
end of the horn was out in the ocean, which
no one might drain dry. Yet, mighty one,
the draughts you swallowed have lowered the
tide upon the shore. Henceforth at certain
times the sea will ebb ; and this is by great
Thor's drinking. The cat also which you
almost lifted, — it was no cat, but the great
Midgard serpent himself who encircles the
whole world. He had barely length enough
for his head and tail to touch in a circle
about the sea. But you raised him so high
that he almost touched heaven. How terri-
fied we were when we saw you heave one of
his mighty feet from the ground ! For who

170 THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS

could tell what horror might happen had you
raised him bodily. Ah, ajid your wrestling
with old EUi ! That was the most marvel-
ous act of all. You had nearly overthrown
Age itself; yet there has never lived one,
nor will such ever be found, whom EUi, old
age, will not cast to earth at last. So you
were beaten, Thor, but by a mere trick. Ha,
ha I How angry you looked, — I shall never
forget ! But now we must part, and I think
you see that it will be best for both of us
that we should not meet again. As I have
done once, so can I always protect my city
by magic spells. Yes, should you come
again to visit us, even better prepared than
now, yet you could never do us serious harm.
Yet the wear and tear upon the nerves of
both of us is something not lightly forgotten."

He ceased, smiling pleasantly, but with a
threatening look in his eye. Thor's wrath
had been slowly rising during this tedious,
grim speech, and he could control it no
longer.

" Cheat and trickster ! " he cried, " your
wiles shall avail you nothing now that I know
your true self You have put me to shame,

THOR'S VISIT TO THE GIANTS 171

now my hammer shall shame you beyond all
reckoning ! " and he raised Miolnir to smite
the giant deathfully. But at that moment
the king faded before his very eyes. And
when he turned to look for the giant city
that he might destroy it, — as he had so many
giant dwellings, — there was in the place
where it had been but a broad, fair plain,
with no sign of any palace, wall, or gate.
Utgard had vanished. The king had kept
one trick of magic for the last.

Then Thor and his three companions
wended their way back to Asgard. But they
were slower than usual about answering ques-
tions concerning their last adventure, their
wondrous visit to the giant city. Truth to
tell, magic or no magic, Thor and Loki had
showed but a poor figure that day. For the
first time in all their meeting with Thor the
giants had not come off any the worse for
the encounter. Perhaps it was a lesson that
he sorely needed. I am afraid that he was
rather inclined to think well of himself But
then, he had reason, had he not ?

THOR'S FISHING t t t

ONCE upon a time the ^sir went
to take dinner with old CEgir, the
king of the ocean. Down under
the green waves they went to the coral pal-
ace where CEgir lived with his wife, Queen
Ran, and his daughters, the Waves. But
(Egir was not expecting so large a party
to dinner, and he had not mead enough
for them all to drink. "I must brew some
more mead," he said to himself But when
he came to look for a kettle in which to
make the brew, there was none in all the
sea large enough for the purpose. At first
CEgir did not know what to do; but at
last he decided to consult the gods them-
selves, for he knew how wise and powerful
his guests were, and he hoped that they
might help him to a kettle.

Now when he told the ^sir his trouble
they were much interested, for they were
hungry and thirsty, and longed for some of
CEgir's good mead. "Where can we find a
kettle ? " they said to one another. " Who
has a kettle huge enough to hold mead for
all the ^sir ? "

THOR'S FISHING 173

Then T^r the brave turned to Thor with
a grand idea. " My father, the giant Hymir,
has such a kettle," he said. " I have seen it
often in his great palace near Elivagar, the
river of ice. This famous kettle is a mile
deep, and surely that is large enough to brew
all the mead we may need."

" Surely, surely it is large enough,"
laughed (Egir. "But how are we to get
the kettle, my distinguished guests? Who
will go to Giant Land to fetch the kettle a
mile deep ? "

"Thatjvill I," said brave Thor. "I will
go to Hymir's dwelling and bring thence
the little kettle, if Tyr will go with me to
show me the way." So Thor and Tyr set
out together for the land of snow and ice,
where the giant Hymir lived. They trav-
eled long and they traveled fast, and finally
they came to the huge house which had
once been Tyr's home, before he went to
live with the good folk in Asgard.

Well Tyr knew the way to enter, and it
was not long before they found themselves
in the hall of Hymir's dwelling, peering
about for some sign of the kettle which they

174 THOR'S FISHING

had come so far to seek ; and sure enough,
presently they discovered eight huge kettles
hanging in a row from one of the beams
in the ceiling. While the two were wonder-
ing which kettle might be the one they
sought, there came in Tyr's grandmother,
— and a terrible grandmother she was. No
wonder that Tyr had run away from home
when he was very little ; for this dreadful
creature was a giantess with nine hundred
heads, each more ugly than the others, and
her temper was as bad as were her looks.
She began to roar and bellow ; and no one
knows what this evil old person would
have done to her grandson and his friend
had not there come into the hall at this
moment another woman, fair and sweet, and
glittering with golden ornaments. This was
Tyr's good mother, who loved him dearly,
and who had mourned his absence during
long years.

With a cry of joy she threw herself upon
her son's neck, bidding him welcome forty
times over. She welcomed Thor also when
she found out who he was ; but she sent
away the wicked old grandmother, that she

THOR'S FISHING 175

might not hear, for Thor's name was not
dear to the race of giants, to so many of
whom he had brought dole and death.

" Why have you come, dear son, after
so many years ? " she cried. " I know that
some great undertaking calls you and this
noble fellow to your father's hall. Danger
and death wait here for such as you and
he ; and only some quest with glory for its
reward could have brought you to such
risks. Tell me your secret, Tyr, and I will
not betray it."

Then they told her how that they had
come to carry away the giant kettle ; and
Tyr's mother promised that she would help
them all she could. But she warned them
that it would be dangerous indeed, for that
Hymir had been in a terrible temper for
many days, and that the very sight of a
stranger made him wild with rage. Hastily
she gave them meat and drink, for they
were nearly famished after their long jour-
ney; and then she looked around to see
where she should hide them against Hymir's
return, who was now away at the hunt.

"Aha!" she cried. "The very thing! You

176 THOR'S FISHING

shall bide in the great kettle itself; and if
you escape Hymir's terrible eye, it may hap
that you will find a way to make off with
your hiding-place, which is what you want."
So the kind creature helped them to climb
into the great kettle where it hung from one
of the rafters in a row with seven others ;
but this one was the biggest and the strong-
est of them all.

Hardly had they snuggled down out of
sight when Tyr's mother began to tremble.
" Hist ! " she cried. " I hear him coming.
Keep as still as ever you can, O Tyr and
Thor ! " The floor also began to tremble,
and the eight kettles to clatter against one
another, as Hymir's giant footsteps ap-
proached the house. Outside they could
hear the icebergs shaking with a sound like
thunder; indeed, the whole earth quivered
as if with fear when the terrible giant Hy-
mir strode home from the hunt. He came
into the hall pufBng and blowing, and im-
mediately the air of the room grew chilly ;
for his beard was hung with icicles and his
face was frosted hard, while his breath was
a winter wind, — a freezing blast.

THOR'S FISHING 177

" Ho ! wife," he growled, " what news,
what news ? For I see by the footprints in
the snow outside that you have had visitors
to~day."

Then indeed the poor woman trembled;
but she tried not to look frightened as she
answered, "Yes, you have a guest, O Hy-
mir ! — a guest whom you have long wished
to see. Your son Tyr has returned to visit
his father's hall."

" Humph ! " growled Hymir, with a terri-
ble frown. " Whom has he brought here
with him, the rascal ? There are prints of
two persons' feet in the snow. Come, wife,
tell me all; for I shall soon find out the
truth, whether or no."

"He has brought a friend of his, — a
dear friend, O Hymir ! " faltered the mother.
" Surely, our son's friends are welcome when
he brings them to this our home, after so
long an absence."

But Hymir howled with rage at the word
"friend." "Where are they hidden?" he
cried. " Friend, indeed ! It is one of those
bloody fellows from Asgard, I know, — one
of those giant-killers whom my good mother

178 THOR'S FISHING

taught me to hate with all my might. Let
me get at him ! Tell me instantly where he
is hidden, or I will pull down the hall about
your ears ! "

Now when the wicked old giant spoke
like this, his wife knew that he must be
obeyed. Still she tried to put off the fateful
moment of the discovery. " They are stand-
ing over there behind that pillar," she said.
Instantly Hymir glared at the pillar towards
which she pointed, and at his frosty glance
— snick-snack ! — the marble pillar cracked
in two, and down crashed the great roof-
beam which held the eight kettles. Smash I
went the kettles ; and there they lay shiv-
ered into little pieces at Hymir's feet, — all
except one, the largest of them all, and that
was the kettle in which Thor and Tyr lay
hidden, scarcely daring to breathe lest the
giant should guess where they were. Tyr's
mother screamed when she saw the big ket-
tle fall with the others : but when she found
that this one, alone of them all, lay on its
side unbroken, because it was so tough and
strong, she held her breath to see what
would happen next.

THOR'S FISHING 179

And what happened was this : out stepped
Thor and Tyr, and making low bows to
Hymir, they stood side by side, smiling and
looking as unconcerned as if they really
enjoyed all this hubbub ; and I dare say
that they did indeed, being Tyr the bold
and Thor the thunderer, who had been in
Giant Land many times ere this.

Hymir gave scarcely a glance at his son,
but he eyed Thor with a frown of hatred
and suspicion, for he knew that this was
one of Father Odin's brave family, though
he could not tell which one. However, he
thought best to be civil, now that Thor was
actually before him. So with gruff polite-
ness he invited the two guests to supper.

Now Thor was a valiant fellow at the
table as well as in war, as you remember;
and at sight of the good things on the board
his eyes sparkled. Three roast oxen there
were upon the giant's table, and Thor fell
to with a will and finished two of them
himself! You should have seen the giant
stare.

" Truly, friend, you have a goodly appe-
tite," he said. "You have eaten all the meat

i8o THOR'S FISHING

that I have in my larder ; and if you dine
with us to-morrow, I must insist that you
catch your own dinner of fish. I cannot
undertake to provide food for such an appe-
tite ! "

Now this was not hospitable of Hymir,
but Thor did not mind. " I like well to fish,
good Hymir," he laughed ; " and when you
fare forth with your boat in the morning, I
will go with you and see what I can find for
my dinner at the bottom of the sea."

When the morning came, the giant made
ready for the fishing, and Thor rose early to
go with himt-

"Ho, Hymir," exclaimed Thor, "have
you bait enough for us both ? "

Hymir answered gruffly, "You must dig
your own bait when you go fishing with me.
I have no time to waste on you, sirrah."

Then Thor looked about to see what he
could use for bait ; and presently he spied
a herd of Hymir's oxen feeding in the
meadow. " Aha ! just the thing ! " he cried ;
and seizing the hugest ox of all, he trotted
down to the shore with it under his arm,
as easily as you would carry a handful of

THOR'S FISHING i8i

clams for bait. When Hymir saw this, he
was very angry. He pushed the boat off
from shore and began to row away as fast
as he could, so that Thor might not have
a chance to come aboard. But Thor made
one long step and planted himself snugly
in the stem of the boat.

" No, no, brother Hymir," he said, laugh-
ing. "You invited me to go fishing, and
a-fishing I will go ; for I have my bait, and
my hope is high that great luck I shall see
this day." So he took an oar and rowed
mightily in the stern, while Hymir the giant
rowed mightily at the prow ; and no one
ever saw boat skip over the water so fast
as this one did on the day when these two
big fellows went fishing together.

Far and fast they rowed, until they came
to a spot where Hymir cried, " Hold ! Let
us anchor here and fish; this is the place
where I have best fortune."

" And what sort of little fish do you catch
here, O Hymir ? " asked Thor.

" Whales ! " answered the giant proudly.
" I fish for nothing smaller than whales."

" Pooh ! " cried Thor. " Who would fish

1 82 THOR'S FISHING

for such small fry! Whales, indeed; let us
row out further, where we can find some-
thing really worth catching," and he began
to pull even faster than before.

" Stop ! stop ! " roared the giant. " You
do not know what you are doing. These
are the haunts of the dreadful Midgard
serpent, and it is not safe to fish in these
waters."

" Oho ! The Midgard serpent ! " said
Thor, delighted. " That is the very fish I
am after. Let us drop in our lines here."
^ Thor baited his great hook with the whole
head of the ox which he had brought, and
cast his line, big round as a man's arm, over
the side of the boat. Hymir also cast his
line, for he did not wish Thor to think him
a coward ; but his hand trembled as he
waited for a bite, and he glanced down into
the blue depths with eyes rounded as big
as dinner-plates through fear of the hor-
rible creature who lived down below those
waves.

" Look ! You have a bite I " cried Thor,
so suddenly that Hymir started and nearly
tumbled out of the boat. Hand over hand

THOR'S FISHING 183

he pulled in his line, and lo ! he had caught
two whales — two great flopping whales —
on his one hook ! That was a catch in-
deed.

Hymir smiled proudly, forgetting his fear
as he said, " How is that, my friend ? Let us
see you beat this catch in your morning's
fishing."

Lo, just at that moment Thor also had
a bite — such a bite ! The boat rocked to
and fro, and seemed ready to capsize every
minute. Then the waves began to roll high
and to be lashed into foam for yards and
yards about the boat, as if some huge crea-
ture were struggling hard below the water.

" I have him ! " shouted Thor ; " I have
the old serpent, the brother of the Fenris
wolf! Pull, pull, monster ! But you shall
not escape me now ! "

Sure enough, the Midgard serpent had
Thor's hook fixed in his jaw, and struggle
as he might, there was no freeing himself
from the line; for the harder he pulled the
stronger grew Thor. In his ^Esir-might Thor
waxed so huge and so forceful that his legs
went straight through the bottom of the

i84 THOR'S FISHING

boat and his feet stood on the bottom of
the sea. With firm bottom as a brace for his
strength, Thor pulled and pulled, and at last
up came the head of the Midgard serpent,
up to the side of the boat, where it thrust
out of the water mountain high, dreadful to
behold ; his monstrous red eyes were rolling
fiercely, his nostrils spouted fire, and from
his terrible sharp teeth dripped poison, that
sizzled as it fell into the sea. Angrily they
glared at each other, Thor and the serpent,
while the water streamed into the boat, and
the giant turned pale with fear at the danger
threatening him on all sides.

Thor seized his hammer, preparing to smite
the creature's head ; but even as he swung
Miolnir high for the fatal blow, Hymir cut
the fish-line with his knife, and down into
the depths of ocean sank the Midgard ser-
pent amid a whirlpool of eddies. But the
hammer had sped from Thor's iron fingers.
It crushed the serpent's head as he sank
downward to his lair on the sandy bottom ;
it crushed, but did not kill him, thanks to
the giant's treachery. Terrible was the dis-
turbance it caused beneath the waves. It burst

THOR'S FISHING 185

the rocks and made the caverns of the ocean
shiver into bits. It wrecked the coral groves
and tore loose the draperies of sea-weed. The
fishes scurried about in every direction, and
the sea-monsters wildly sought new places
to hide themselves when they found their
homes destroyed. The sea itself was stirred
to its lowest depths, and the waves ran
trembling into one another's arms. The earth,
too, shrank and shivered. Hymir, cowering
low in the boat, was glad of one thing, which
was that the terrible Midgard serpent had
vanished out of sight. And that was the last
that was ever seen of him, though he still
lived, wounded and sore from the shock of
Thor's hammer.

Now it was time to return home. Silently
and sulkily the giant swam back to land;
Thor, bearing the boat upon his shoulders,
filled with water and weighted as it was with
the great whales which Hymir had caught,
waded ashore, and brought his burden to the
giant's hall. Here Hymir met him crossly
enough, for he was ashamed of the whole
morning's work, in which Thor had appeared
so much more of a hero than he. Indeed,

1 86 THOR'S FISHING

he was tired of even pretending hospitality
towards this unwelcome guest, and was re-
solved to be rid of him ; but first he would
put Thor to shame.

"You are a strong fellow," he said, "good
at the oar and at the fishing; most won-
drously good at the hammer, by which I
know that you are Thor. But there is one
thing which you cannot do, I warrant, —
you cannot break this little cup of mine,
hard though you may try."

"That I shall see for myself," answered
Thor; and he took the cup in his hand.
Now this was a magic cup, and there was
but one way of breaking it, but one thing
hard enough to shatter its mightiness. Thor
threw it with all his force against a stone
of the flooring ; but instead of breaking the
cup, the stone itself was cracked into splin-
ters. Then Thor grew angry, for the giant
and all his servants were laughing as if thif
were the greatest joke ever played.

" Ho, ho ! Try again, Thor ! " cried Hy
mir, nearly bursting with delight ; for he
thought that now he should prove how
much mightier he was than the visitor from

THOR'S FISHING 187

Asgard. Thor clutched the cup more firmly
and hurled it against one of the iron pillars
of the hall ; but like a rubber ball the magic
cup merely bounded back straight into
Hymir's hand. At this second failure the
giants were full of merriment and danced
about, making all manner of fun at the ex-
pense of Thor. You can fancy how well
Thor the mighty enjoyed this ! His brow
grew black, and the glance of his eye was
terrible. He knew there was some magic in
the trick, but he knew not how to meet it.
Just then he felt the soft touch of a woman's
hand upon his arm, and the voice of Tyr's
mother whispered in his ear, —

" Cast the cup against Hymir's own fore-
head, which is the hardest substance in the
world." No one except Thor heard the
woman say these words, for all the giant
folk were doubled up with mirth over their
famous joke. But Thor dropped upon one
knee, and seizing the cup fiercely, whirled
it about his head, then dashed it with all
his might straight at Hymir's forehead.
Smash! Crash! What had happened?
Thor looked eagerly to see. There stood the

1 88 THOR'S FISHING

giant, looking surprised and a little dazed;
but his forehead showed not even a
scratch, while the strong cup was shivered
into little pieces.

" Well done ! " exclaimed Hymir hastily,
when he had recovered a little from his sur-
prise. But he was mortified at Thor's suc-
cess, and set about to think up a new task
to try his strength. " That was very well,"
he remarked patronizingly ; " now you must
perform a harder task. Let us see you carry
the mead kettle out of the hall. Do that, my
fine fellow, and I shall say you are strong
indeed."

The mead kettle ! The very thing Thor
had come to get ! He glanced at Tyr ; he
shot a look at Tyr's mother ; and both of
them caught the sparkle, which was very
like a wink. To himself Thor muttered,
" I must not fail in this ! I must not, will
not fail ! "

" First let me try," cried Tyr ; for he
wanted to give Thor time for a resting-
spell. Twice Tyr the mighty strained at
the great kettle, but he could not so much
as stir one leg of it from the floor where

THOR'S FISHING 189

it rested. He tugged and heaved in vain,
growing red in the face, till his mother
begged him to give over, for it was quite
useless.

Then Thor stepped forth upon the floor.
He grasped the rim of the kettle, and
stamped his feet through the stone of the
flooring as he braced himself to lift. One,
two, three ! Thor straightened himself, and
up swung the giant kettle to his head, while
the iron handle clattered about his feet. It
was a mighty burden, and Thor staggered
as he started for the door ; but Tyr was
close beside him, and they had covered long
leagues of ground on their way home before
the astonished giants had recovered suffi-
ciently to follow them. When Thor and
Tyr looked back, however, they saw a vast
crowd of horrible giants, some of them with
a hundred heads, swarming out of the cav-
erns in Hymir's land, howling and prowling
upon their track.

" You must stop them, Thor, or they will
never let us get away with their precious
kettle, — they take such long strides ! " cried
Tyr. So Thor set down the kettle, and from

ipo THOR'S FISHING

his pocket drew out Miolnir, his wondrous
hammer. Terribly it flashed in the air as he
swung it over his head ; then forth it flew
towards Jotunheim ; and before it returned
to Thor's hand it had crushed all the heads
of those many-headed giants, Hymir's ugly
mother and Hymir himself among them.
The only one who escaped was the good
and beautiful mother of Tyr. And you may
be sure she lived happily ever after in the
palace which Hymir and his wicked old
mother had formerly made so wretched a
home for her.

Now Tyr and Thor had the giant kettle
which they had gone so far and had met
so many dangers to obtain. They took it
to (Egir's sea-palace, where the banquet was
still going on, and where the ^sir were still
waiting patiently for their mead ; for time
does not go so fast below the quiet waves
as on shore. Now that King CEgir had the
great kettle, he could brew all the mead
they needed. So every one thanked Tyr
and congratulated Thor upon the success of
their adventure.

"I was sure that Thor would bring th«»

THOR'S FISHING 191

-kettle," said fair Sif, smiling upon her brave
husband.

"What Thor sets out to do, that he
always accomplishes," said Father Odin
gravely. And that was praise enough for
any one.

THOR'S DUEL t t t t

IN the days that are past a wonderful race
of horses pastured in the meadows of
heaven, steeds more beautiful and more
swift than any which^e world knows to-day.
There was Hrimfaxi, the black, sleek horse
who drew the chariot of Night across the sky
and scattered the dew from his foaming bit.
There was Glad, behind whose flying heels
sped the swift chariot of Day. His mane was
yellow with gold, and from it beamed light
which made the whole world bright. Then
there were the two shining horses of the sun,
Arvakur the watchful, and Alsvith the rapid ;
and the nine fierce battle-chargers of the nine
Valkyries, who bore the bodies of fallen he-
roes from the field of fight to the blessedness
of Valhalla. Each of the gods had his own
glorious steed, with such pretty names as
Gold-mane and Silver-top, Light-foot and
Precious-stone ; these galloped with their
masters over clouds and through the blue air,
blowing flame from their nostrils and glint-
ing sparks from their fiery eyes. The ^Esir
would have been poor indeed without their

THOR'S DUEL 193

faithful mounts, and few would be the stories
to tell in which these noble creatures do not
bear at least a part.

But best of all the horses of heaven was
Sleipnir, the eight-legged steed of Father
Odin, who because he was so well supplied
with sturdy feet could gallop faster over land
and sea than any horse which ever lived.
Sl^nir was snow-white and beautiful to see,
and Odin was very fond and proud of him^
you may be sure. He loved to ride forth
upon his good horse's back to meet whatever
adventure might be upon the way, and some-
times they had wild times together.

One day Odin galloped off from Asgard
upon Sleipnir straight towards Jotunheim
and the Land of Giants, for it was long since
All-Father had been to the cold country, and
he wished to see -how its mountains and ice-
rivers looked. Now as he galloped along a
wild road, he met a huge giant standing be-
side his giant steed.

" Who goes there? " cried the giant gruffly,
blocking the way so that Odin could not
pass. " You with the golden helmet, who are
you, who ride so famously through air and

194 THOR'S DUEL

water ? For I have been watching you from
this mountain-top. Truly, that is a fine horsf
which you bestride."

" There is no finer horse in all the world,"
boasted Odin. " Have you not heard of Sleip-
nir, the pride of Asgard ? I will match him
against any of your big, clumsy giant horses."

" Ho ! " roared the giant angrily, " an ex-
cellent horse he is, your little Sleipnir. But
I warrant he is no match for my GuUfaxi
here. Come, let us try a race ; and at its end
I shall pay you for your insult to our horses
of Jotunheim."

So saying, the giant, whose ugly name
was Hrungnir, sprang upon his horse and
spurred straight at Odin in the narrow way.
Odin turned and galloped back towards As-
gard with all his might ; for not only must
he prove his horse's speed, but he must save
himself and Sleipnir from the anger of the
giant, who was one of the fiercest and wick-
edest of all his fierce and wicked race.

How the eight slender legs of Sleipnir
twinkled through the blue sky! How his
nostrils quivered and shot forth fire and
smoke ! Like a flash of lightning he darted

THOR'S DUEL 195

across the sky, and the giant horse rumbled
and thumped along close behind like the
thunder following the flash.

"Hi, hi!" yelled the giant. "After them,
GuUfaxi ! And when we have overtaken the
two, we will crush their bones between us I "

" Speed, speed, my Sleipnir ! " shouted
Odin. " Speed, good horse, or you will never
again feed in the dewy pastures of Asgard
with the other horses. Speed, speed, and bring
us safe within the gates ! "

Well Sleipnir understood what his mas-
ter said, and well he knew the way. Already
the rainbow bridge was in sight, with Heim-
dal the watchman prepared to let them in.
His sharp eyes had spied them afar, and
had recognized the flash of Sleipnir's white
body and of Odin's golden helmet. Gallop
and thud ! The twelve hoofs were upon the
bridge, the giant horse close behind the other.
At last Hrungnir knew where he was, and
into what danger he was rushing. He pulled
at the reins and tried to stop his great beast.
But GuUfaxi was tearing along at too terrible
a speed. He could not stop. Heimdal threw
open the gates of Asgard, and in galloped

196 THOR'S DUEL

Sleipnir with his precious burden, safe. Close
upon them bolted in GuUfaxi, bearing his
giant master, puffing and purple in the face
from hard riding and anger. Cling-clang!
Heimdal had shut and barred the gates, and
there was the giant prisoned in the castle of
his enemies.

Now the ^sir were courteous folk, unlike
the giants, and they were not anxious to take
advantage of a single enemy thus thrown
into their power. They invited him to enter
Valhalla with them, to rest and sup before
the long journey of his return. Thor was not
present, so they filled for the giant the great
cups which Thor was wont to drain, for
they were nearest to the giant size. But you
remember that Thor was famous for his
power to drink deep. Hrungnir's head was
not so steady ; Thor's iiraught was too much
for him. He soon lost his vits, of which he
had but few ; and a witless giant is a most
dreadful creature. He raged like a madman,
and threatened to pick up Valhalla like a toy
house and carry it home with him to Jotun-
heim. He said he would pull Asgard to
pieces and slay all the gods except Frei» the

THOR'S DUEL 197

fair and Sif, the golden-haired wife of Thor,
whom he would carry off like little dolls for
his toy house.

The ^Esir knew not what to do, for Thor
and his hammer were not there to protect
them, and Asgard seemed in danger with this
enemy within its very walls. Hrungnir called
for more and more mead, which Freia alone
dared to bring and set before him. And the
more he drank the fiercer he became. At last
the ^sir could bear no longer his insults and
his violence. Besides, they feared that there
would be no more mead left for their ban-
quets if this unwelcome visitor should keep
Freia pouring out for him Thor's mighty
goblets. They bade Heimdal blow his horn
and summon Thor ; and this Heimdal did in
a trice.

Now rumbling and thundering in his
chariot of goats came Thor. He dashed into
the hall, hammer in hand, and stared in
amazement at the unwieldy guest whom he
found there.

"A giant feasting in Asgard hall!" he
roared. " This is a sight which I never saw
before. Who gave the insolent fellow leave

198 THOR'S DUEL

to sit in my place ? And why does fair Freia
wait upon him as if he were some noble
guest at a feast of the high gods ? I will slay
him at once ! " and he raised the hammer to
keep his word.

Thor's coming had sobered the giant some-
what, for he knew that this was no enemy
to be trifled with. He looked at Thor sulkily
and said : " I am Odin's guest. He invited
me to this banquet, and therefore I am under
his protection."

" You shall be sorry that you accepted the
invitation," cried Thor, balancing his hammer
and looking very fierce ; for Sif had sobbed
in his ear how the giant had threatened to
carry her away.

Hrungnir now rose to his feet and faced
Thor boldly, for the sound of Thor's gruff
voice had restored his scattered wits. " I am
here alone and without weapons," he said.
" You would do ill to slay me now. It would
be little like the noble Thor, of whom we
hear tales, to do such a thing. The world will
count you braver if you let me go and meet
me later in single combat, when we shall
both be fairly armed."

THOR'S DUEL 199

Thor dropped the hammer to his side.
" Your words are true," he said, for he was a
just and honorable fellow.

"I was foolish to leave my shield and
stone club at home," went on the giant. " If
I had my arms with me, we would fight at
this moment. But I name you a coward if
you slay me now, an unarmed enemy."

" Your words are just," quoth Thor again.
" I have never before been challenged by any
foe. I will meet you, Hrungnir, at your
Stone City, midway between heaven and
earth. And there we will fight a duel to see
which of us is the better fellow."

Hrungnir departed for Stone City in Jo-
tunheim; and great was the excitement of
the other giants when they heard of the duel
which one of their number was to fight
with Thor, the deadliest enemy of their race.

" We must be sure that Hrungnir wins the
victory ! " they cried. " It will never do to
have Asgard victorious in the first duel that
we have fought with her champion. We
will make a second hero to aid Hrung
nir."

All the giants set to work with a will

20O THOR'S DUEL

They brought great buckets of moist clay,
and heaping them up into a huge mound,
moulded the m^ss with their giant hands as
a sculptor does his image, until they had
made a man of clay, an immense dummy,
nine miles high and three miles wide. "Now
we must make him live ; we must put a heart
into him ! " they cried. But they could find
no heart big enough until they thought of
taking that of a mare, and that fitted nicely.
A mare's heart is the most cowardly one that
beats.

Hrungnir's heart was a three-cornered
piece of hard stone. His head also was of
stone, and likewise the great shield which he
held before him when he stood outside of
Stone City waiting for Thor to come to the
duel. Over his shoulder he carried his club,
and that also was of stone, the kind from
which whetstones are made, hard and terrible.
By his side stood the huge clay man, Mocku-
ralfi, and they were a dreadful sight to see,
these two vast bodies whom Thor must en-
cpunter.

But at the very first sight of Thor, who
came thundering to the place with swift

THOR'S DUEL 201

Thialfi his servant, the timid mare's heart
in the man of clay throbbed with fear ; he
trembled so that his knees knocked together,
and his nine miles of height rocked un-
steadily.

Thialfi ran up to Hrungnir and began to
mock him, saying, "You are careless, giant.
I fear you do not know what a mighty enemy
has come to fight you. You hold your shield
in front of you; but that will serve you
nothing. Thor has seen this. He has only
to go down into the earth and he can attack
you conveniently fi'om beneath your very
feet."

At this terrifying news Hrungnir hastened
to throw his shield upon the ground and to
stand upon it, so that he might be safe from
Thor's uhder-stroke. He grasped his heavy
club with both hands and waited. He had
not long to wait. There came a blinding
flash of lightning and a peal of crashing
thunder. Thor had cast his hammer into
space. Hrungnir raised his club with both
hands and hurled it against the hammer
which he saw flying towards him. The two
mighty weapons met in the air with an ear-

202 THOR'S DUEL

splitting shock. Hard as was the stone of the
giant's club, it was like glass against the
power of Miolnir. The club was dashed into
pieces ; some fragments fell upon the earth ;
and these, they say, are the rocks from which
whetstones are made unto this day. They
are so hard that men use them to sharpen
knives and axes and scythes. One splinter
of the hard stone struck Thor himself in the
forehead, with so fierce a blow that he fell
forward upon the ground, and Thialfi feared
that he was killed. But Miolnir, not even
stopped in its course by meeting the giant's
club, sped straight to Hrungnir and crushed
his stony skull, so that he fell forward over
Thor, and his foot lay on the fallen hero's
neck. And that was the end of the giant
whose head and heart were of stone.

Meanwhile Thialfi the swift had fought
with the man of clay, and had found little
trouble in toppling him to earth. For the
mare's cowardly heart in his great body gave
him little strength to meet Thor's faithful
servant ; and the trembling limbs of Mocku-
ralfi soon yielded to Thialfi's hearty blows.
He fell like an unsteady tower of blocks, and

THOR'S DUEL 203

his brittle bulk shivered into a thousand
fragments.

Thialfi ran to his master and tried to raise
him. The giant's great foot still rested upon
his neck, and all Thialfi's strength could not
move it away. Swift as the wind he ran for
the other vEsir, and when they heard that
great Thor, their champion, had fallen and
seemed like one dead, they came rushing to
the spot in horror and confusion. Together
they all attempted to raise Hrungnir's foot
from Thor's neck that they might see
whether their hero lived or no. But all their
efforts were in vain. The foot was not to be
lifted by ^sir-might.

At this moment a second hero appeared
upon the scene. It was Magni, the son of
Thor himself; Magni, who was but three
days old, yet already in his babyhood he was
almost as big as a giant and had nearly the
strength of his father. This wonderful young-
ster came running to the place where his
father lay surrounded by a group of sad-
faced and despairing gods. When Magni
saw what the matter was, he seized Hrung-
nir's enormous foot in both his hands, heaved

ao4 THOR'S DUEL

his broad young shoulders, and in a moment
Thor's neck was free of the weight which
was crushing it.

Best of all, it proved that Thor was not
dead, only stunned by the blow of the giant's
club and by his fall. He stirred, sat up pain-
fully, and looked around him at the group of
eager friends. " Who lifted the weight from
my neck ? " he asked.

" It was I, father," answered Magni mod-
estly. Thor clasped him in his arms and
hugged him tight, beaming with pride and
gratitude.

" Truly, you are a fine child ! " he cried ;
" one to make glad your father's heart. Now
as a reward for your first great deed you
shall have a gift from me. The swift horse
of Hrungnir shall be yours, — that same
GuUfaxi who was the beginning of all this
trouble. You shall ride GuUfaxi; only a
giant steed is strong enough to bear the
weight of such an infant prodigy as you, my
Magni."

Now this word did not wholly please
Father Odin, for he thought that a horse so
excellent ought to belong to him. He took

THOR'S DUEL 205

Thor aside and argued that but for him there
would have been no duel, no horse to win.
Thor answered simply, —

"True, Father Odin, you began this trouble.
But I have fought your battle, destroyed
your enemy, and suffered great pain for you.
Surely, I have won the horse fairly and may
give it to whom I choose. My son, who has
saved me, deserves a horse as good as any.
Yet, as you have proved, even GuUfaxi is
scarce a match for your Sleipnir. Verily,
Father Odin, you should be content with the
best." Odin said no more.
V Now Thor went home to his cloud-palace
in Thrudvang. And there he was healed of
all his hurts except that which the splinter
of stone had made in his forehead. For the
stone was imbedded so fast that it could not
be taken out, and Thor suffered sorely there-
for. Sif, his yellow-haired wife, was in de-
spair, knowing not what to do. At last she
bethought her of the wise woman, Groa, who
had skill in all manner of herbs and witch
charms. Sif sent for Groa, who lived ali
alone and sad because her husband Orvandi
had disappeared, she knew not whither. Groa

ao6 THOR'S DUEL

came to Thor and, standing beside his bed
while he slept, sang strange songs and gently
waved her hands over him. Immediately the
stone in his forehead began to loosen, and
Thor opened his eyes.

" The stone is loosening, the stone is com-
ing out ! " he cried. " How can I reward you,
gentle dame ? Prithee, what is your name ? "

" My name is Groa," answered the woman,
weeping, " wife of Orvandil who is lost."

" Now, then, I can reward you, kind Groa I"
cried Thor, " for I can bring you tidings of
your husband. I met him in the cold country,
in Jotunheim, the Land of Giants, which you
know I sometimes visit for a bit of good
hunting. It was by Elivagar's icy river that
I met Orvandil, and there was no way for
him to cross. So I put him in an iron basket
and myself bore him over the flood. Br-r-r I
But that is a cold land ! His feet stuck out
through the meshes of the basket, and when
we reached the other side one of his toes was
frozen stiff. So I broke it off and tossed
it up into the sky that it might become a
star. To prove that what I relate is true,
Groa, there is the new star shining over us

THOR'S DUEL 207

at this very moment. Look ! From this day
it shall be known to men as Orvandil's Toe.
Do not you weep any longer. After all, the
loss of a toe is a little thing; and I promise
that your husband shall soon return to you,
safe and sound, but for that small token of
his wanderings in the land where visitors are
not welcome."

At these joyful tidings poor Groa was so
overcome that she fainted. And that put an
end to the charm which she was weaving to
loosen the stone from Thor's forehead. The
stone was not yet wholly free, and thence-
forth it was in vain to attempt its removal ;
Thor must always wear the splinter in his
forehead. Groa could never forgive herself
for the carelessness which had thus made her
skill vain to help one to whom she had rea-
son to be so grateful.

Now because of the bit of whetstone in
Thor's forehead, folk of olden times were
very careful how they used a whetstone ; and
especially they knew that they must not throw
or drop one on the floor. For when they did
so, the splinter in Thor's forehead was jarred,
and the good Asa suffered great pain.

IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE

ALTHOUGH Thor liad slain Thiasse
/-\ the giant builder, Thrym the thief,
Hrungnir, and Hymir, and had rid
the world of whole families of wicked giants,
there remained many others in Jotunheim
to do their evil deeds and to plot mischief
again^ both gods and men; and of these
G^rod was the fiercest and the widcedest.
He and his two ugly daughters — Gialp of
the red eyes, and Grfeip of the black teeth
— lived in a large palace among the moun-
tains, where Geirrod had his treasures of
iron and copper, silver and gold ; for, since
the death of Thrym, Geirrod was the Lord
of the Mines, and all the riches that came
out of the earth-caverns belonged to him.

Thrym had been Geirrod's friend, and the
tale of Thrym's death through the might
of Thor and his hammer had made Geirrod
very sad and angry. " If I could but catch
Thor, now, without his weapons," he said
to his daughters, "what a lesson I would
give him ! How I would punish him for
his deeds against us giants ! "

IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE 209

" Oh, what would you do, father ? " cried
Gialp, twinkling her cruel red eyes, and
working her claw fingers as if she would
like to fasten them in Thor's golden beard.

" Oh, what would you do, father '? " cried
Greip, smacking her lips and grinding her
black teeth as if she would like a bite out
of Thor's stout arm.

" Do to him ! " growled Geirrod fiercely.
" Do to him ! Gr-r-r ! I would chew him
all up ! I would break his bones into little
bits ! I would smash him into jelly ! "

" Oh, good, good ! Do it, father, and then
give him to us to play with," cried Gialp
and Greip, dancing up and down till the
hills trembled and all the frightened sheep
ran home to their folds thinking that there
must be an earthquake ; for Gialp was as
tall as a pine-tree and many times as thick,
while Greip, her little sister, was as large
around as a haystack and high as a flag-
staff. They both hoped some day to be as
huge as their father, whose legs were so
long that he could step across the river val-
leys from one hilltop to another, just as
we human folk cross a brook on stepping-

2IO IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE

stones ; and his arms were so stout that he
could lift a yoke of oxen in each fist, as if
they were red-painted toys.

Geirrod shook his head at his two play-
ful daughters and sighed. " We must catch
Master Thor first, my girls, before we do
these fine things to him. We must catch
him without his mighty hammer, that never
fails him, and without his belt, that doubles
his strength whenever he puts it on, or even
I cannot chew and break and smash him as
he deserves ; for with these his weapons he
is the mightiest creature in the whole world,
and I would rather meddle with thunder
and lightning than with him. Let us wait,
children."

■ Then Gialp and Greip pouted and sulked
like two great babies who cannot have the
new plaything which they want ; and very
ugly they were to see, with tears as big as
oranges rolling down their cheeks.

Sooner than they expected they came
very near to having their heart's desire ful-
filled. And if it had happened as they
wished, and if Asgard had lost its good-
liest hero, its strongest defense, that would

IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE an

have been red Loki's fault, all Loki's evil
planning ; for you are now to hear of the
wickedest thing that up to this time Loki
had ever done. As you know, it was Loki
who was Thor's bitterest enemy ; and for
many months he had been awaiting the
chance to repay the Thunder Lord for the
dole which Thor had brought upon him at
the time of the dwarf's gifts to Asgard.

This is how it came about : Loki had
long remembered the fun of skimming as
a great bird in Freia's falcon feathers. He
had longed to borrow the wings once again
and to fly away over the round world to see
what he could see ; for he thought that
so he could learn many secrets which he
was not mtfant to know, and plan won-
derful mischief without being found out.
But Freia would not again loan her feather
dress to Loki. She owed him a grudge for
naming her as Thrym's bride ; and besides,
she remembered his treatment of Idun, and
she did not trust his oily tongue and fine
promises. So Loki saw no way but to bor-
row the feathers without leave ; and this he
did one day when Freia was gone to ride in

212 IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE

her chariot drawn by white cats. Loki put
on the feather dress, as he had done twice
before, — once when he went to Jotunheim
to bring back stolen Idun and her magic
apples, once when he went to find out about
Thor's hammer.

Away he flew from Asgard as birdlike
as you please, chuckling to himself with
wicked thoughts. It did not make any par-
ticular difference to him where he went. It
was such fun to flap and fly, skim and
wheel, looking and feeling for all the world
like a big brown falcon. He swooped low,
thinking, " I wonder what Freia would say
to see me now ! Whee-e-e ! How angry
she would be ! " Just then he spied the
high wall of a palace on the mountains.

" Oho ! " said Loki. " I never saw that
place before. It may be a giant's dwelling.
I think this must be Jotunheim, from the
bigness of things. I must just peep to see."
Loki was the most inquisitive of creatures,
as wily minded folk are apt to be.

Loki the falcon alighted and hopped to
the wall, then giving a flap of his wings he
flew up and up to the window ledge, where

IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE 213

he perched and peered into the hall. And
there within he saw the giant Geirrod with
his daughters eating their dinner. They
looked so ugly and so greedy, as they sat
there gobbling their food in giant mouth-
fuls, that Loki on the window-sill could
not help snickering to himself. Now at that
sound Geirrod looked up and saw the big
brown bird peeping in at the window.

" Heigha ! " cried the giant to one of his
servants. "Go you and fetch me the big
brown bird up yonder in the window."

Then the servant ran to the wall and tried
to climb up to get at Loki ; but the window
was so high that he could not reach. He
jumped and slipped, scrambled and slipped,
again and again, while Loki sat just above
his clutching fingers, and chuckled so that he
nearly fell from his perch. " Te-he ! te-he ! "
chattered Loki in the falcon tongue. It was
such fun to see the fellow grow black in
the face with trying to reach him that Loki
thought he would wait until the giant's fin-
gers almost touched him, before flying away.

But Loki waited too long. At last, with
a quick spring, the giant gained a hold upon

214 IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE

the window ledge, and Loki was within reach.
When Loki flapped his wings to fly, he
found that his feet were tangled in the vine
that grew upon the wall. He struggled and
twisted with all his might, — but in vain.
There he was, caught fast. Then the ser-
vant grasped him by the legs, and so brought
him to Geirrod, where he sat at table. Now
Loki in his feather dress looked exactly like
a falcon — except for his eyes. There was
no hiding the wise and crafty look of Loki's
eyes. As soon as Geirrod looked at him, he
suspected that this was no ordinary bird.
l^'^'^ You are no falcon, you I " he cried.
"You are spying about my palace in dis-
guise. Speak, and tell me who you are."
Loki was afraid to tell, because he knew
the giants were angry with him for his part
in Thrym's death, — small though his part
had really been in that great deed. So he
kept his beak closed tight, and refused to
speak. The giant stormed and raged and
threatened to kill him ; but still Loki was
silent.

Then Geirrod locked the falcon up in a
chest for three long months without food or

IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE 215

water, to see how that would suit his bird-
ship. You can imagine how hungry and
thirsty Loki was at the end of that time, —
ready to tell anything he knew, and more
also, for the sake of a crumb of bread and
a drop of water.

So then Geirrod called through the key-
hole, " Well, Sir Falcon, now will you tell
me who you are ? " Arid this time Loki
piped feebly, " I am Loki of Asgard ; give
me something to eat ! "

" Oho ! " quoth the giant fiercely. " You
are that Loki who went with Thor to kill
my brother Thrym ! Oho ! Well, you shall
die for that, my feathered friend ! "

" No, no ! " screamed Loki. " Thor is no
friend of mine. I love the giants far better I
One of them is my wife ! " — which was
indeed true, as were few of Loki's words.

" Then if Thor is no friend of yours, to
save your life will you bring him into my
power ? " asked Geirrod.

Loki's eyes gleamed wickedly among the
feathers. Here all at once was his chance
to be free, and to have his revenge upon
Thor, his worst enemy. " Ay, that I will ! "

21 6 IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE

he cried eagerly. " I will bring Thor into
your power."

So Geirrod made him give a solemn pro-
mise to do that wrong; and upon this he
loosed Loki from the chest and gave him
food. Then they formed the wicked plan
together, while Gialp and Greip, the giant's
ugly daughters, listened and smacked their
lips.

Loki was to persuade Thor to come with
him to Geirrodsgard. More ; he must come
without his mighty hammer, and without
the iron gloves of power, and without the
belt of strength ; for so only could the giant
have Thor at his mercy.

After their wicked plans were made, Loki
bade a friendly farewell to Geirrod and his
daughters and flew back to Asgard as
quickly as he could. You may be sure he
had a sound scolding from Freia for steaHng
her feather dress and for keeping it so long.
But he told such a pitiful story of being
kept prisoner by a cruel giant, and he looked
in truth so pale and thin from his long fast,
that the gods were fain to pity him and to
believe his story, in spite of the many times

IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE 217

that he had deceived them. Indeed, most of
his tale was true, but he told only half of the
truth ; for he spoke no word of his promise
to the giant. This he kept hidden in his
breast.

Now, one day not long after this, Loki in-
vited Thor to go on a journey with him tta
visit a new friend who, he said, was anxious
to know the Thunder Lord. Loki was so
pleasant in his manner and seemed so frank
in his speech that Thor, whose heart was
simple and unsuspicious, never dreamed of
any wrong, not even when Loki added, —
" And by the bye, my Thor, you must leave
behind your hammer, your belt, and your
gloves ; for it would show little courtesy to
wear such weapons in the home of a new
friend."

Thor carelessly agreed ; for he was pleased
with the idea of a new adventure, and with
the thought of making a new friend. Be-
sides, on their last journey together, Loki
had behaved so well that Thor believed him
to have changed his evil ways and to have
become his friend. So together they set oi
in Thor's goat chariot, without weapons of

21 8 IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE

any kind except those which Loki secretly
carried. Loki chuckled as they rattled over
the clouds, and if Thor had seen the look in
his eyes, he would have turned the chariot
back to Asgard and to safety, where he had
left gentle Sif his wife. But Thor did not
notice, and so they rumbled on.

Soon they came to the gate of Giant
Land. Thor thought this strange, for he
knew they were like to find few friends of
his dwelling among the Big Folk. For the
first time he began to suspect Loki of some
treacherous scheme. However, he said no-
thing, and pretended to be as gay and care-
less as before. But he thought of a plan to
find out the truth.

Close by the entrance was the cave of
Grid, a good giantess, who alone of all her
race was a friend of Thor and of the folk in
Asgard.

" I will alight here for a moment, Loki,"
said Thor carelessly. " I long for a draught
of water. Hold you the goats tightly by the
reins until I return."

So he went into the cave and got his
draught of water. But while he was drink-

IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE 219

ingj he questioned good mother Grid to
some purpose.

" Who is this friend Geirrod whom I go
to see ? " he asked her.

" Geirrod your friend ! You go to see
Geirrod ! " she exclaimed. " He is the wick-
edest giant of us all, and no friend to you;
Why do you go, dear Thor % "

"H'm!" muttered Thor. "Red Loki's
mischief again I " He told her of the visit
that Loki had proposed, and how he had
left at home the belt, the gloves, and the
hammer which made him stronger than any
giant. Then Grid was frightened.

" Go not, go not, Thor ! " she begged.
" Geirrod will kill you, and those ugly girls,
Gialp and Greip, will have the pleasure of
crunching your bones. Oh, I know them
well, the hussies ! "

But Thor declared that he would go,
whether or no. " I have promised Loki that
I will go," he said, " and go I will ; for I
always keep my word."

" Then you shall have three little gifts of
me," quoth she. " Here is my belt of power
• — for I also have one like your own." And

220 IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE

she buckled about his waist a great belt, at
whose touch he felt his strength redoubled.
" This is my iron glove," she said, as she put
one on his mighty hand, " and with it, as
with your own, you can handle lightning and
touch unharmed the hottest of red-hot metal.
And here, last of all," she added, " is Gridar-
voU, my good staff, which you may find
useful. Take them, all three ; and may Sif
see you safe at home again by their aid."

Thor thanked her and went out once more
to join Loki, who never suspected what had
happened in the cave. For the belt and the
glove were hidden under Thor's cloak. And
as for the staff, it was quite ordinary looking,
as if Thor might have picked it up anywhere
along the road.

On they journeyed until they came to the
river Vimer, the greatest of all rivers, which
roared and tossed in a terrible way between
them and the shore which they wanted to
reach. It seemed impossible to cross. But
Thor drew his belt a little tighter, and plant-
ing Grid's staff firmly on the bottom, stepped
out into the stream. Loki clung behind to
his cloak, frightened out of his wits. But Thor

IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE 221

waded on bravely, his strength doubled by
Grid's belt, and his steps supported by her
magic staff. Higher and higher the waves
washed over his knees, his waist, his shoul-
ders, as if they were fierce to drown him.
And Thor said, —

" Ho there, river Vimer ! Do not grow
any larger, I pray.. It is of no use. The
more you crowd upon me, the mightier I
grow with my belt and my staff! "

But lo ! as he nearly reached the other
side, Thor spied some one hiding close down
by the bank of the river. It was Gialp of the
red eyes, the big elder daughter of Geirrod.
She was splashing the water upon Thor,
making the great waves that rolled up and
threatened to drown him.

" Oho ! " cried he. " So it is you who are
making the river rise, big little girl. We
must see to that ; " and seizing a huge boul-
der, he hurled it at her. It hit her with a
thud, for Thor's aim never missed. Giving
a scream as loud as a steam-whistle, Gialp
limped home as best she could to tell her
father, and to prepare a warm reception {d
the stranger who bore Loki at his back.

222 IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE

When Thor had pulled himself out of
the river by some bushes, he soon came to the
palace which Loki had' first sighted in his
falcon dress. And there he found everything
most courteously made ready for him. He
and Loki were received like dear old friends,
with shouts of rejoicing and ririging of bells.
Geirrod himself came out to meet them, and
would have embraced his new friend Thor;
but the Thunder Lord merely seized him by
the hand and gave him so hearty a squeeze
with the iron glove that the giant howled
with pain. Yet he could say nothing, for Thor
looked pleased and gentle. And Geirrod
said to himself, " Ho, ho, my fine little
Thor ! I will soon pay you for that hand-
shake, and for many things beside."
•yAU this time Gialp and Greip did not ap-
pear, and Loki also had taken himself away,
to be out of danger when the hour of Thor's
death should come. For he feared that dread-
ful things might happen before Thor died;
and he did not want to be remembered by
the big fist of the companion whom he had
betrayed. Loki, having kept his promise to
the giant, was even now far on the road back

IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE 223

to Asgard, where he meant with a sad face
to tell the gods that Thor had been slain by a
horrible giant ; but never to tell them how.

So Thor was all alone when the servants
led him to the chamber which Geirrod had
made ready for his dear friend. It was a
wonderfully fine chamber, to be sure; but
the strange thing about it was that among the
furnishings there was but one chair, a giant
chair, with a drapery all about the legs. Now
Thor was very weary with his long journey,
and he sat down in the chair to rest. Then,
wonderful to tell ! — if elevators had been in-
vented in those days, he might have thought
he was in one. For instantly the seat of the
chair shot up towards the roof, and against
this he was in danger of being crushed as
Geirrod had longed to see him. But quick
as a flash Thor raised the staff which good
old Grid had given him, and pushed it
against the rafters with all his might to stop
his upward journey. It was a tremendous
push that he gave. Something cracked ; some-
thing crashed ; the chair fell to the ground
as Thor leaped off the seat, and there were
two terrible screams.

224 IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE

Then Thor found — what do you think ?
Why, that Gialp and Greip, the giant's
daughters, had hidden under the seat of the
chair, and had lifted it up on their backs to
crush Thor against the roof! But instead of
that, it was Thor who had broken their backs,
so that they lay dead upon the floor like
limp rag dolls.

Now this little exercise had only given
Thor an excellent appetite for supper. So
that when word came bidding him to the
banquet, he was very glad.

"First," said big Geirrod, grinning hor-
ribly, for he did not know what had hap-
pened to his daughters, — " first we will see
some games, friend Thor."

Then Thor came into the hall, where fires
were burning in great chimney places along
the walls. " It is here that we play our
little games," cried Geirrod. And on the mo-
ment, seizing a pair of tongs, he snatched a
red-hot wedge of iron from one of the fires
and hurled it straight at Thor's head. But
Thor was quicker than he. Swift as a flash
he caught the flying spark in his iron glove,
and calling forth all the might of Grid's

IN THE GIANT'S HOUSE 225

belt, he cast the wedge back at the giant.
Geirrod dodged behind an iron pillar, but it
was in vain. Thor's might was such as no
iron could meet. Like a bolt of lightning
the wedge passed through the pillar, through
Geirrod himself, through the thick wall of
the palace, and buried itself deep in the
ground, where it lodges to this day, unless
some one has dug it up to sell for old iron.

So perished Geirrod and his children, one
of the wickedest families of giants that ever
lived in Jotunheim. And so Thor escaped
from the snares of Loki, who had never done
deed worse than this.

When Thor returned home to Asgard,
where from Loki's lying tale he found all the
gods mourning him as dead, you can fancy
what a joyful reception he had. But for Loki,
the false-hearted, false-tongued traitor to them
all, there was only hatred. He no longer
had any friends among the good folk. The
wicked giants and the monsters of Utgard
were now his only friends, for he had grown
to be like them, and even these did not trust
him overmuch.

BALDER AND THE MIS-
TLETOE t t t t t t t

LOKI had given up trying to revenge
himself upon Thor. The Thunder
^ Lord seemed proof against his tricks.
And indeed nowadays Loki hated him no
more than he did the other gods. He hated
some because they always frowned at him ;
he hated others because they only laughed
and jeered. Some he hated for their distrust
and some for their fear. But he hated them
all because they were happy and good and
mighty, while he was wretched, bad, and of
little might. Yet it was all his own fault that
this was so. He might have been an equal
with the best of them, if he had not chosen
to set himself against everything that was
good. He had made them all his enemies,
and the more he did to injure them, the more
he hated them, — which is always the way
with evil-doers. Loki longed to see them
all unhappy. He slunk about in Asgard with
a glum face and wrinkled forehead. He dared
not meet the eyes of any one, lest they should
read his heart. For he was plotting evil, the

BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE 227

greatest of evils, which should bring sorrow
to all his enemies at once and turn Asgard
into a land of mourning. The iEsir did not
guess the whole truth, yet they felt the bit-
terness of the thoughts which Loki bore;
and whenever in the dark he passed unseen,
the gods shuddered as if a breath of evil had
blown upon them, and even the flowers
drooped before his steps.

Now at this time Balder the beautiful had
a strange dream. He dreamed that a cloud
came before the sun, and all Asgard was
dark. He waited for the cloud to drift away,
and for the sun to smile again. But no ; the
sun was gone forever, he thought; and Bal-
der awoke feeling very sad. The next night
Balder had another dream. This time he
dreamed that it was still dark as before ; the
flowers were withered and the gods were
growing old; even Idun's magic apples
could not make them young again. And all
were weeping and wringing their hands as
though some dreadful thing had happened.
Balder awoke feeling strangely frightened,
yet he said no word to Nanna his wife, for
he did not want to trouble her.

228 BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE

When it came night again Balder slept
and dreamed a third dream, a still more terri-
ble one than the other two had been. He
thought that in the dark, lonely world there
was nothing but a sad voice, which cried,
" The sun is gone ! The spring is gone !
Joy is gone ! For Balder the beautiful is
dead, dead, dead ! "

This time Balder awoke with a cry, and
Nanna asked him what was the matter. So
he had to tell her of his dream, and he was
sadly frightened ; for in those days dreams
were often sent to folk as messages, and
what the gods dreamed usually came true.
Nanna ran sobbing to Queen Frigg, who
was Balder's mother, and told her all the
dreadful dream, asking what could be done
to prevent it from coming true.

Now Balder was Queen Frigg's dearest
son. Thor was older and stronger, and more
famous for his great deeds ; but Frigg loved
far better gold-haired Balder. And indeed he
was the best-beloved of all the .^sir ; for
he was gentle, fair, and wise, and wherever
he went folk grew happy and light-hearted
at the very sight of him, just as we do when

BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE 229

we first catch a glimpse of spring peeping
over the hilltop into Winterland. So when
Frigg heard of Balder's woeful dream, she
was frightened almost out of her wits.

" He must not die ! He shall not die ! "
she cried. " He is so dear to all the world,
how could there be anything which would
hurt him ? "

And then a wonderful thought came to
Frigg. " I will travel over the world and
make all things promise not to injure my
boy," she said. " Nothing shall pass my no-
tice. I will get the word of everything."

So first she went to the gods themselves,
gathered on Ida Plain for their morning ex-
ercise ; and telling them of Balder's dream,
she begged them to give the promise. Oh,
what a shout arose when they heard her
words !

" Hurt Balder I — our Balder ! Not for the
world, we promise ! The dream is wrong, —
there is nothing so cruel as to wish harm to
Balder the beautiful ! " they cried. But deep
in their hearts they felt a secret fear which
would linger xmtil they should hear that all
things had given their promise. What if

230 BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE

harm were indeed to come to Balder ! The
thought was too dreadful.

Then Frigg went to see all the beasts
who live in field or forest or rocky den.
Willingly they gave their promise never to
harm hair of gentle Balder. " For he is ever
kind to us," they said, " and we love him as
if he were one of ourselves. Not with claws
or teeth or hoofs or horns will any beast hurt
Balder."

Next Frigg spoke to the birds and fishes,
reptiles and insects. And all — even the ven-
omous serpents — cried that Balder was their
friend, and that they would never do aught
to hurt his dear body. " Not with beak or
talon, bite or sting or poison fang, will one
of us hurt Balder," they promised.

After doing this, the anxious mother trav-
eled over the whole round world, step by
step ; and from all the things that are she
got the same ready promise never to harm
Balder the beautiful. All the trees and plants
promised ; all the stones and metals ; earth,
air, fire, and water ; sun, snow, wind, and
rain, and all diseases that men know, — each
gave to Frigg the word of promise which

BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE 231

she wanted. So at last, footsore and weary,
she came back to Asgard with the joyful
news that Balder must be safe, for that there
was nothing in the world but had promised
to be his harmless friend.

Then there was rejoicing in Asgard, as if
the gods had won one of their great victories
over the giants. The noble ^Esir and the
heroes who had died in battle upon the earth,
and who had come to Valhalla to live hap-
pily ever after, gathered on Ida Plain to cele-
brate the love of all nature for Balder.
I ^ There they invented a famous game, which
was to prove how safe he was from the bite
of death. They stationed Balder in the midst
of them, his face glowing like the sun with
the bright light which ever shone from him.
And as he stood there all unarmed and smil-
ing, by turns they tried all sorts of weapons
against him; they made as if to beat him
with sticks, they stoned him with stones,
they shot at him with arrows and hurled
mighty spears straight at his heart.

It was a merry game, and a shout of
laughter went up as each stone fell harm-
less at Balder's feet, each stick broke before

232 BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE

it touched his shoulders, each arrow overshot
his head, and each spear turned aside. For
neither stone nor wood nor flinty arrow-point
nor barb of iron would break the promise
which each had given. Balder was safe with
them, just as if he were bewitched. He
remained unhurt among the missiles which
whizzed about his head, and which piled up
in a great heap around the charmed spot
whereon he stood.

Now among the crowd that watched these
games with such enthusiasm, there was one
face that did not smile, one voice that did
not rasp itself hoarse with cheering. Loki
saw how every one and every thing loved
Balder, and he was jealous. He was the only
creature in all the world that hated Balder
and wished for his death. Yet Balder had
never done harm to him. But the wicked
plan that Loki had been cherishing was al-
most ripe, and in this poison fruit was the
seed of the greatest sorrow that Asgard had
ever known.

While the others were enjoying their game
of love, Loki stole away unperceived from
Ida Plain, and with a wig of gray hair, a long

EACH ARROW OVERSHOT HIS HEAD

BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE 233

gown, and a staff, disguised himself as an old
woman. Then he hobbled down Asgard
streets till he came to the palace of Queen
Frigg, the mother of Balder.

" Good-day, my lady," quoth the old wo-
man, in a cracked voice. " What is that noisy
crowd doing yonder in the green meadow ?
I am so deafened by their shouts that I can
hardly hear myself think."

"Who are you, good mother, that you
have not heard ? " said Queen Frigg in sur-
prise. " They are shooting at my son Bal-
der. They are proving the word which all
things have given me, — the promise not to
injure my dear son. And that promise will
be kept."

The old crone pretended to be full of won-
der. " So, now ! " she cried. " Do you mean
to say that every single thing in the whole
world has promised not to hurt your son ?
I can scarce believe it; though, to be sure,
he is as fine a fellow as I ever saw." Of
course this flattery pleased Frigg.

" You say true, mother," she answered
proudly, " he is a noble son. Yes, everything
has promised, — that is, everything except

234 BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE

one tiny little plant that is not worth men-
tioning."

The old woman's eyes twinkled wickedly.
"And what is that foolish little plant, my
dear ? " she asked coaxingly.

"It is the mistletoe that grows in the
meadow west of Valhalla. It was too young
to promise, and too harmless to bother with,"
answered Frigg carelessly.

After this her questioner hobbled pain-
fully away. But as soon as she was out of
sight from the Queen's palace, she picked up
the skirts of her gown and ran as fast as she
could to the meadow west of Valhalla. And
there sure enough, as Frigg had said, was a
tiny sprig of mistletoe growing on a gnarled
oak-tree. The false Loki took out a knife
which she carried in some hidden pocket and
cut off the mistletoe very carefully. Then
she trimmed and shaped it so that it was like
a little green arrow, pointed at one end, but
very slender.

" Ho, ho ! " chuckled the old woman. " So
you are the only thing in all the world that
is too young to make a promise, my little
mistletoe. Well, young as you are, you

BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE 235

must go on an errand for me to-day. And
maybe you shall bear a message of my love
to Balder the beautiful."

Then she hobbled back to Ida Plain,
where the merry game was still going on
around Balder. Loki quietly passed unno-
ticed through the crowd, and came close to
the elbow of a big dark fellow who was
standing lonely outside the circle of weapon-
throwers. He seemed sad and forgotten, and
he hung his head in a pitiful way. It was
Hod, the blind brother of Balder.

The old woman touched his arm. " Why
do you not join the game with the others ? "
she asked, in her cracked voice. " Are you
the only one to do your brother no honor ?
Surely, you are big and strong enough to toss
a spear with the best of them yonder."

Hod touched his sightless eyes madly.
"I am blind," he said. "Strength I have,
greater than belongs to most of the ^sir.
But I cannot see to aim a weapon. Besides,
I have no spear to test upon him. Yet how
gladly would I do honor to dear Balder ! "
and he sighed deeply.

" It were a pity if I could not find you at

236 BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE

least a little stick to throw," said Loki sym-
pathetically. " I am only a poor old woman,
and of course I have no Weapon. But ah, —
here is a green twig which you can use as
an arrow, and I will guide your arm, poor
fellow."

Hod's dark face lighted up, for he was
eager to take his turn in the game. So he
thanked her, and grasped eagerly the little
arrow which she put into his hand. Loki
held him by the arm, and together they
stepped into the circle which surrounded Bal-
der. And when it was Hod's turn to throw
his weapon, the old woman stood at his elbow
and guided his big arm as it hurled the twig
of mistletoe towards where Balder stood.

Oh, the sad thing that befell ! Straight
through the air flew the little arrow, straight as
magic and Loki's arm could direct it. Straight
to Balder's heart it sped, piercing through
jerkin and shirt and all, to give its bitter
message of " Loki's love," as he had said.
With a cry Balder fell forward on the grass.
And that was the end of sunshine and spring
and joy in Asgard, for the dream had come
true, and Balder the beautiful was dead.

BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE 237

When the ^Esir saw what had happened,
there was a great shout of fear and horror,
and they rushed upon Hod, who had thrown
the fatal arrow.

" What is it? What have I done ? " asked
the poor blind brother, trembling at the tu-
mult which had followed his shot.

" You have slain Balder ! " cried the iEsir.
" Wretched Hod, how could you do it ? "

" It was the old woman — the evil old
woman, who stood at my elbow and gave me
a little twig to throw," gasped Hod. " She
must be a witch."

Then the JEsir scattered over Ida Plain to
look for the old woman who had done the
evil deed ; but she had mysteriously disap-
peared.

" It must be Loki," said wise Heimdal.
" It is Loki's last and vilest trick."

" Oh, my Balder, my beautiful Balder ! "
wailed Queen Frigg, throwing herself on the
body of her son. " If I had only made the
mistletoe give me the promise, you would
have been saved. It was I who told Loki
of the mistletoe, — so it is I who have killed
you. Oh, my son, my son I "

238 BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE

But Father Odin was speechless with grief.
His sorrow was greater than that of all
the others, for he best understood the dread-
ful misfortune which had befallen Asgard.
Already a cloud had come before the sun,
so that it would never be bright day again.
Already the flowers had begun to fade and
the birds had ceased to sing. And already
the ^sir had begun to grow old and joyless,
— all because the little mistletoe had been
too young to give a promise to Queen Frigg,

" Balder the beautiful is dead I " the cry
went echoing through all the world, and
everything that was sorrowed at the sound
of the iEsir's weeping.

Balder's brothers lifted up his beautiful
body upon their great war shields and bore
him on their shoulders down to the seashore.
For, as was the custom in those days, they
were going to send him to Hela, the Queen
of Death, with all the things he best had loved
in Asgard. And these were, — after Nanna
his wife, — his beautiful horse, and his ship
Hringhorni. So that they would place Bal-
der's body upon the ship with his horse beside
him, and set fire to this wonderful funeral

BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE 239

pile. For by fire was the quickest passage to
Hela's kingdom.

But when they reached the shore, they
found that all the strength of all the ^sir was
unable to move Hringhorni, Balder's ship,
into the water. For it was the largest ship
in the world, and it was stranded far up the
beach.

'"Even the giants bore no ill-will to Bal-
der," said Father Odin. " I heard the thunder
of their grief but now shaking the hills. Let
us for this once bury our hatred of that race
and send to Jotunheim for help to move the
ship."

So they sent a messenger to the giantess
Hyrrockin, the hugest of all the Frost People.
She was weeping for Balder when the mes-
sage came.

" I will go, for Balder's sake," she said.
Soon she came riding fast upon a giant wolf,
with a serpent for the bridle; and mighty
she was, with the strength of forty ^sir. She
dismounted from her wolf-steed, and tossed
the wriggling reins to one of the men-
heroes who had followed Balder and the
^sir from Valhalla. But he could not hold

240 BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE

the beast, and it took four heroes to keep
him quiet, which they could only do by
throwing him upon the ground and sitting
upon him in a row. And this mortified them
greatly.

Then Hyrrockin the giantess strode up
to the great ship and seized it by the prow.
Easily she gave a little pull and presto! it
leaped forward on its rollers with such force
that sparks flew from the flint stones under-
neath and the whole earth trembled. The
boat shot into the waves and out toward open
sea so swiftly that the iEsir were likely to
have lost it entirely, had not Hyrrockin
waded out up to her waist and caught it by
the stern just in time.

Thor was angry at her clumsiness, and
raised his hammer to punish her. But the
other ^sir held his arm.

" She cannot help being so strong," they
whispered. " She meant to do well. She did
not realize how hard she was pulling. This
is no time for anger, brother Thor." So Thor
spared her life, as indeed he ought, for her
kindness.

Then Balder's body was borne out to the

BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE 241

ship and laid upon a pile of beautiful silks,
and furs, and cloth-of-gold, and woven sun-
beams which the dwarfs had wrought. So
that his funeral pyre was more grand than
anything which had ever been seen. But
when Nanna, Balder's gentle wife, saw them
ready to kindle the flames under this gor-
geous bed, she could bear her grief no longer.
Her loving heart broke, and they laid her
beside him, that they might comfort each
other on their journey to Hela. Thor touched
the pile gently with his hammer that makes
the lightning, and the flames burst forth,
lighting up the faces of Balder and Nanna
with a glory. Then they cast upon the fire
Balder's war-horse, to serve his master in the
dark country to which he was about to go.
The horse was decked with a harness all of
gold, with jewels studding the bridle and
headstall. Last of all Odin laid upon the
pyre his gift to Balder, Draupnir, the precious
ring of gold which the dwarf had made, from
which every ninth night there dropped eight
other rings as large and brightly golden.

" Take this with you, dear son, to Hela's
palace," said Odin. " And do not forget the

242 BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE

friends you leave behind in the now lonely
halls of Asgard."

Then Hyrrpckin pushed the great boat
out to sea, with its bonfire of precious things.
And on the beach stood all the ^sir watch-
ing it out of sight, all the ^Esir and many
besides. For there came to Balder's funeral
great crowds of little dwarfs and multitudes
of huge frost giants, all mourning for Balder
the beautiful. For this one time they were
all friends together, forgetting their quarrels
of so many centuries. All of them loved
Balder, and were united to do him honor.

The great ship moved slowly out to sea,
sending up a red fire to color all the heavens.
At last it slid below the horizon softly, as
you have often seen the sun set upon the
water, leaving a brightness behind to lighten
the dark world for a little while.

This indeed was the sunset for Asgard.
The darkness of sorrow came in earnest after
the passing of Balder the beautiful.

But the punishment of Loki was a terrible
thing. And that came soon and sore.

THE PUNISHMENT OF
LOKI tftttttt

yi FTER the death of Balder the world
/-\ grew so dreary that no one had
any heart left for work or play.
The ^sir sat about moping and miserable.
They were growing old, — there was no
doubt about that. There was no longer any
gladness in Valhalla, where the Valkyries
waited on table and poured the foaming
mead. There was no longer any mirth on
Ida Plain, when every morning the bravest
of earth-heroes fought their battles over
again. Odin no longer had any pleasure in
the daily news brought by his wise ravens.
Thought and Memory, nor did Freia enjoy
her falcon dress. Frey forgot to sail in his
ship Skidbladnir, and even Thor had almost
wearied of his hammer, except as he hoped
that it would help him to catch Loki. For
the one thought of all of them now was to
find and punish Loki.

Yet they waited; for Queen Frigg had
sent a messenger to Queen Hela to find if
they might not even yet win Balder back
from the kingdom of death.

244 THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI

Odin shook his head. "Queen Hela is
Loki's daughter," he said, " and she will not
let Balder return." But Frigg was hopeful ;
she had employed a trusty messenger, whose
silver tongue had won many hearts against
their will.

It was Hermod, Balder's brother, who gal-
loped down the steep road to Hela's king-
dom, on Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse of
Father Odin. For nine nights and nine days
he rode, through valleys dark and chill, until
he came to the bridge which is paved with
gold. And here the maiden Modgard told
him that Balder had passed that way, and
showed him the path northward to Hela's
city. So he rode, down and down, until he
came to the high wall which surrounded the
grim palace where Hela reigned. Hermod
dismounted and tightened the saddle-girths
of gray Sleipnir, whose eight legs were as
frisky as ever, despite the long journey.
And when he had mounted once more, the
wonderful horse leaped with him over the
wall, twenty feet at least !

Then Hermod rode straight into the pal-
ace of Hela, straight up to the throne where

THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI 245

she sat surrounded by gray shadows and
spirit people. She was a dreadful creature
to see, was this daughter of Loki, — half
white like other folk, but half black, which
was not sunburn, for there was no sunshine
in this dark and dismal land. Yet she was
not so bad as she looked ; for even Hela
felt kindly towards Balder, whom her father
had slain, and was sorry that the world had
lost so dear a friend. So when Hermod
begged of her to let his brother return with
him to Asgard, she said very gently, —

" Freely would I let him go, brave Her-
mod, if I might. But a queen cannot always
do as she likes, even in her own kingdom.
His life must be bought ; the price must be
paid in tears. If everything upon earth will
weep for Balder's death, then may he return,
bringing light and happiness to the upper
world. Should one creature fail to weep,
Balder must remain with me."

Then Hermod was glad, for he felt sure
that this price was easily paid. He thanked
Hela, and made ready to depart with the
hopeful message. Before he went away he saw
and spoke with Balder himself, who sat with

246 THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI

Nanna upon a throne of honor, talking of
the good times that used to be. And Balder
gave him the ring Draupnir to give back
to Father Odin, as a remembrance from his
dear son ; while Nanna sent to mother Frigg
her silver veil with other rich presents. It
was hard for Hermod to part with Balder
once again, and Balder also wept to see him
go. But Hermod was in duty bound to bear
the message back to Asgard as swiftly as
might be.

Now when the JEsir heard from Hermod
this news, they sent messengers forth over
the whole world to bid every creature weep
for Balder's death. Heimdal * galloped off
upon Goldtop and Frey upon Goldbristle,
his famous hog ; Thor rumbled away in his
goat chariot, and Freia drove her team of
cats, — all spreading the message in one di-
rection and another. There really seemed
little need for them to do this, for already
there was mourning in every land and clime.
Even the sky was weeping, and the flower
eyes were filled with dewy tears.

So it seemed likely that Balder would be
ransomed after all, and the .^sir began to

THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI 247

hope more strongly. For they had not found
one creature who refused to weep. Even the
giants of Jotunheim were sorry to lose the
gentle fellow who had never done them any
harm, and freely added their giant tears to
the salt rivers that were coursing over all the
world into the sea, making it still more salt.

It was not until the messengers had nearly
reached home, joyful in the surety that Bal-
der was safe, that they found an ugly old
giantess named Thokt hidden in a black cav-
ern among the mountains.

" Weep, mother, weep for Balder ! " they
cried. "Balder the beautiful is dead, but
your tears will buy him back to life. Weep,
mother, weep ! "

But the sulky old woman refused to
weep.

" Balder is nothing to me," she said. " I
care not whether he lives or dies. Let him
bide with Hela — he is out of mischief there.
I weep dry tears for Balder's death."

So all the work of the messengers was in
vain, because pf this one obstinate old wo-
man. So all the tears of the sorrowing world
were shed in vain. Because there were lack-

248 THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI

ing two salty drops from the eyes of Thokt,
they could not buy back Balder from the
prison of death.

When the messengers returned and told
Odin their sad news, he was wrathful.

" Do you not guess who the old woman
was ? " he cried. " It was Loki — Loki him-
self, disguised as a giantess. He has tricked
us once more, and for a second time has slain
Balder for us ; for it is now too late, — Bal-
der can never return to us after this. But it
shall be the last of Loki's mischief It is
now time that we put an end to his deeds of
shame."

"Come, my brothers!" shouted Thor,
flourishing his hammer. "We have wept
and mourned long enough. It is now time
to punish. Let us hasten back to Thokt's
cave, and seize Loki as quickly as may be."

So they hurried back into the mountains
where they had left the giantess who would
not weep. But when they came to the place,
the cave was empty. Loki was too sharp a
fellow to sit still and wait for punishment to
overtake him. He knew very well that the
iEsir would soon discover who Thokt really

THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI 249

was. And he had taken himself off to a safer
place, to escape the questions which a whole
world of not too gentle folk were anxious to
ask him.

The one desire of the iEsir was now to
seize and punish Loki. So when they were
unable to find him as easily as they expected,
they were wroth indeed. Why had he left
the cave ? Whither had he gone ? In what
new disguise even now was he lurking, per-
haps close by ?

The truth was that when Loki found him-
self at war with the whole world which he
had injured, he fled away into the mountains,
where he had built a strong castle of rocks.
This castle had four doors, one looking into
the north, one to the south, one to the east,
and one to the west ; so that Loki could keep
watch in all directions and see any enemy
who might approach. Besides this, he had
for his protection the many disguises which
he knew so well how to don. Near the castle
was a river and a waterfall, and it was Loki's
favorite game to change himself into a spot-
ted pink salmon and splash about in the pool
below the fall.

250 THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI

" Ho, ho ! Let them try to catch me here,
if they can I " he would chuckle to himself.
And indeed, it seemed as if he were safe
enough.

One day Loki was sitting before the fire
in his castle twisting together threads of flax
and yarn into a great fish-net which was his
own invention. For no one had ever before
thought of catching fish with a net. Loki
was a clever fellow ; and with all his faults,
for this one thing at least the fishermen
of to-day ought to be grateful to him. As
Loki sat busily knotting the meshes of the
net, he happened to glance out of the south
door, — and there were the ^Esir coming in
a body up the hill towards his castle.

Now this is what had happened : from
his lookout throne in Asgard, Odin's keen
sight had spied Loki's retreat. This throne,
you remember, was in the house with a sil-
ver roof which Odin had built in the very
beginning of time ; and whenever he wanted
to see what was going on in the remotest
corner of Asgard, or to spy into some secret
place beyond the sight of gods or men, he
would mount this magic throne, whence his

THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI 251

eye could pierce thick mountains and sound
the deepest sea. So it was that the Msh had
found out Loki's castle, well-hidden though
it was among the furthest mountains of the
world. They had come to catch him, and
there was nothing left for him but to run.

Loki jumped up and threw his half-
mended net into the fire, for he did not want
the ^sir to discover his invention ; then he
ran down to the river and leaped in with a
great splash. When he was well under water,
he changed himself into a salmon, and flick-
ered away to bask in his shady pool and
think how safe he was.

By this time the ^sir had entered his cas-
tle and were poking among the ashes which
they found smouldering on the hearth.

"What is this ?" asked Thor, holding up
a piece of knotted flax which was not quite
burned. " The knave has been making some-
thing with little cords."

" Let me see it," said Heimdal, the wisest
of the ^Esir, — he who once upon a time
had suggested Thor's clever disguise for
winning back his hammer from the giant
Thrym. He took now the little scrap of

252 THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI

fish-net and studied it carefully, picking out
all the knots and twists of it.

" It is a net," said Heimdal at last. " He
has been making a net, and — pfaugh ! —
it smells of fish. The fellow must have used
it to trap fish for his dinner, though I never
before heard of such a device."

" I saw a big splash in the river just as
we came up," said Thor the keen-eyed, —
"a very big splash indeed. It seemed too
large for any fish."

" It was Loki," declared Heimdal. ' " He
must have been here but a moment since,
for this fire has just gone out, and the net
is still smouldering. That shows he did not
wish us to find this new-fangled idea of
his. Why was that? Let me think. Aha!
I have it. Loki has changed himself into
a fish, and did not wish us to discover the
means of catching him."

" Oho ! " cried the iEsir regretfiilly. " If
only we had another net ! "

" We can make one," said wise Heimdal.
" I know how it is done, for I have studied
out this little sample. Let us make a net to
catch the slyest of all fish."

THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI 253

^ " Let us make a net for Loki," echoed the
iEsir. And they all sat down cross-legged
on the floor to have a lesson in net-weaving
from Heimdal. He found hemp cord in a
cupboard, and soon they had contrived a
goodly net, big enough to catch several
Lokis, if they should have good fisherman's
luck.

They dragged the net to the river and
cast it in. Thor, being the strongest, held
one end of the net, and all the rest drew the
other end up and down the stream. They
were clumsy and awkward, for they had
never used a net before, and did not know
how to make the best of it. But presently
Thor exclaimed, " Ha I I felt some live thing
touch the meshes ! "

" So did we ! " cried the others. " It must
be Loki ! " And Loki it was, sure enough ;
for the ^sir had happened upon the very
pool where the great salmon lay basking so
peacefully. But when he felt the net touch
him, he darted away and hid in a cleft be-
tween two rocks. So that, although they
dragged the net to and fro again and again,
they could not catch Loki in its meshes;

254 THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI

for the net was so light that it floated over
his head.

"We must weight the net," said Heim-
dal wisely ; " then nothing can pass beneath
it." So they tied heavy stones all along the
under edge, and again they cast the net, a
little below the waterfall. Now Loki had
seized the chance to swim further down the
stream. But ugh ! suddenly he tasted salt
water. He was being swept out to sea !
That would never do, for he could not live
an hour in the sea. So he swam back and
leaped straight over the net up into the
waterfall, hoping that no one had noticed
him. But Thor's sharp eyes had spied the
flash of pink and silver, and Thor came run-
ning to the place.

" He is here ! " he shouted. " Cast in the
net above the fall ! We have him now ! "

When Loki saw the net cast again, so
that there was no choice for him but to be
swept back over the falls and out to sea,
or to leap the net once more still further
up the river, he hesitated. He saw Thor in
the middle of the stream wading towards
him; but behind him was sure death. So

THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI 255

he set his teeth and once more he leaped
the net. There was a huge splash, a scuffle,
a scramble, and the water was churned into
froth all about Thor's feet. He was strug-
gling with the mighty fish. He caught him
once, but the salmon slipped through his
fingers. He caught him again, and this time
Thor gripped hard. The salmon almost es-
caped, but Thor's big fingers kept hold of
the end of his tail, and he flapped and
flopped in vain. It was the grip of Thor's
iron glove ; and that is why to this day the
salmon has so pointed a tail. The next time
you see a salmon you must notice this, and
remember that he may be a great-great-great-
grand-descendant of Loki.

So Loki was captured and changed back
into his own shape, sullen and fierce. But
he had no word of sorrow for his evil deeds ;
nor did he ask for mercy, for he knew that
it would be in vain. He kept silent while
the iEsir led him all the weary way back to
Asgard.

Now the whole world was noisy with the
triumph of his capture. As the procession
passed along it was joined by all the crea-

256 THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI

tures who had mourned for Balder, — all the
creatures who longed to see Loki punished.
There were the men of-Midgard, the place
of human folk, shouting, " Kill him ! kill
him ! " at the top of their lungs ; there were
armies of little mountain dwarfs in their
brown peaked caps, who hobbled along,
prodding Loki with their picks ; there were
beasts growling and showing their teeth as
if they longed to tear Loki in pieces ; there
were birds who tried to peck his eyes, in-
sects who came in clouds to sting him, and
serpents that sprang up hissing at his feet to
poison him with their deadly bite.

But to all these Thor said, " Do not kill
the fellow. We are keeping him for a worse
punishment than you can give." So the crea-
tures merely followed and jostled Loki into
Asgard, shouting, screaming, howling, growl-
ing, barking, roaring, spitting, squeaking,
hissing, croaking, and buzzing, according to
their different ways of showing hatred and
horror.

The iEsir met on Ida Plain to decide what
should be done with Loki. There were
Idun whom he had cheated, and Sif whose

KILL HIM ! KILL HIM I "

THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI 257

hair he had cut off. There were Freia
whose falcon dress he had stolen and Thor
whom he had tried to kill. There were Hod
whom he had made a murderer ; Frigg and
Odin whose son he had slain. There was
not one of them whom Loki had not in-
jured in some way; and besides, there was
the whole world into which he had brought
sorrow and darkness; for the sake of all
these Loki must be punished. But it was
hard to think of any doom heavy enough for
him. At last, however, they agreed upon a
punishment which they thought suited to so
wicked a wretch.

The long procession formed again and
escorted Loki down, down into a damp
cavern underground. Here sunlight never
came, but the cave was full of ugly toads,
snakes, and insects that love the dark. These
were Loki's evil thoughts, who were to live
with him henceforth and torment him al-
ways. In this prison chamber side by side
they placed three sharp stones, not far apart, to
make an uneasy bed. And these were for
Loki's three worst deeds, against Thor and
Hod and Balder. Upon these rocks they

258 THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI

bound Loki with stout thongs of leather. But
as soon as the cords were fastened they turned
into iron bands, so that no one, though he had
the strength of a hundred giants, could loosen
them. For these were Loki's evil passions,
and the more he strained against them, the
more they cut into him and wounded him
until he howled with pain.

Over his head Skadi, whose father he had
helped to slay, hung a venomous, wriggling
serpent, from whose mouth dropped poison
into Loki's face, which burned and stung him
like fire. And this was the deceit which all
his life Loki had spoken to draw folk into
trouble and danger. At last it had turned
about to torture him, as deceit always will do
to him who utters it. Yet from this one tor-
ment Loki had some relief; for alone of all
the world Sigyn, his wife, was faithful and
forgiving. She stood by the head of the
painful bed upon which the Red One was
stretched, and held a bowl to catch the poison
which dropped from the serpent's jaws, so
that some of it did not reach Loki's face.
But as often as the bowl became full, Sigyn
had to go out and empty it; and then the

THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI 259

bitter drops fell and burned till Loki made
the cavern ring with his cries.

So this was Loki's punishment, and bad
enough it was, — but not too bad for such a
monster. Under the caverns he lies there
still, struggling to be free. And when his
great strength shakes the hills so that the
whole ground trembles, men call it an earth-
quake. Sometimes they even see his poison-
ous breath blowing from the top of a moun-
tain-chimney, and amid it the red flame of
wickedness which burns in Loki's heart.
Then all cry, " The volcano, the volcano ! "
and run away as fast as they can. For Loki,
poisoned though he is, is still dangerous and
full of mischief, and it is not good to venture
near him in his torment.

But there for his sins he must bide and
suffer, suffer and bide, until the end of all
sorrow and suffering and sin shall come,
with Ragnarok, the ending of the world.

PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY OF
PROPER NAMES.

Key to Pronunciation. — Marked vowels are pro-
nounced like the same vowels similarly marked in the
following words : father, hit, wall ; sSt, alert, theme ;
pine, bit ; top, more, rode ; miite, pull. The sound o is
hard to pronounce in English ; it lies about half-way be-
tween the e in alert and the e in held.

vEsir— gs'Ir.
Alsvith — al'svlth.
Arvakur — ar'vak ur.
Asa — as'a.
Asgard — as'gard.
Ask — ask.

Balder — bal'der.
Baugi — bow'ge.
Bif rost — be'f rest.
Bil — bn.
Bragi — bra'ge.
Brock — brock.
Brunhilde — briin hfl'dS.

Draupnir — drowp'nir.

Elivigar — a'le va gar.
EUi — 51'le.
Embla — 6m'bla.

Fenrir — fgn'rir.
Fialar — fe'al ar.
Folkvang — f 5lk'vang.
Forseti — for s6t'e.
Freia — fri'a.
Frey — frl.
Frigg — frfg.

Galar — ga'lar.
Geirrod — gir'red.
Geirrodsgard —

gir'reds gard'.
Gerd — gerd.
Gialp — gealp.
Gilling — gU'lIng.
GioU— ge'ell.
Glad — glad.
Gladsheim — glSds'hlm.
Greip — grip.
Grid — gred.
GridarvoU — gred'ar veil.'
Groa — gro'a.
Gullf axi — gull fak'sg.
Gungnir — gung'nir.
Gunnlod — gun'led.
Gymir — ge'mlr.

Heimdal — him'dal.
Hela— hS'la.
Hermod — her'mod.
Hiuki — hyu'ke.
Hod — hed.
Hoenir — he'nir.
Hrfmf axi — hrem fak'se.
Hringhorni — hring'horne.
Hrungnir — hrung'nlr.

Hugi — hu'ge.
Hymir — he'mlr.
Hyrrocken — her'rSk €n.

Ida — e'da.
I dun — e'dun.
Ifing — e'flng.
Ivaldi — e vil'de.

Jotunheim — yo'tun him.

Kvasir — kva'slr.

Logi — lo'ge.
Loki — lo'ke.
Lora — lo'ra.

Magni — mag'ne.
Mani — ma'ne.
Midgard — mld'gard.
Mimir — me'mlr.
Miolnir — myel'nir.
Mockuralfi — mek'ur al'fe.

Nanna — nan'na.
Niflheim — nif'l him.
Niord — nyerd.
Noatun — no'a tun'.
Norn — norn.

Odin — o'dln.
CEgir — eg' Sr.
Orvandil — er'van del'.

Ragnarok — rag'na rek'.
Ran — ran.
Roskva — resk'va.

Sif — sK.
Sigyn — si'gln.
Sindri — sin'dre.
Skadi — ska'de.
Skidbladnir — sked blad'nir.
Skirnir — sker'nlr.
Skrymir — skre'mlr.
Sleipnir — slTp'nlr.
Sol — sol.
Suttung — sut'timg.
Svadilwri — sva del fe're.

Thialfi — the al'fe.
Thiasse — the as'se.
Thokt — thekt.
Thor — thor.
Thrude — thrud.
Thrudheim — thrud'him.
Thrudvang — thrud'vang.
Thrym — thrfm.
Thrymheim — thrlm'him.
Troll — trSl.
Tyr— ter.

UU— uU.
Urdar — ur'dar
Utgard — ut'gard.

Valhalla— valhal'la.
Vali — va'le.
Valkyrie — val ke're.
Vanir — va nir.
Ve — va.
Vidar — ve'dar.
Vili — vl'le.
Vimer — ve'mlr.

Yggdrasil — Ig'dra sll'.
Ymir — e'mlr.

Cornell University Library
PZ 8.1.B87

In the days of giants; a book of Norse ta

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